Intimacy
by cancercute
Summary: Knowing each other was fate. Becoming friends was a choice. And falling in love.. it was inevitable and out of their control. Now what could the best shooting guard and school paper photographer do when complications hit them both hard? UPDATED! R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**(a/n)**

Omg. So this is my first Takari. And I'm so feeling all mushy right now. Please do review. I have never posted anything that involves TK and Kari. I've always been a Mimato. I want to know what you think about this fic. This was inspired by the song "I'd Lie" by Taylor Swift, and some of those cute guys I happen to see along the way. Wooh! Mr. President. Mr. Crush! Lol. Enjoy!

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER o1**

_By_

**©ancercute**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

She tore the paper from her notebook on her lap, crumbled it and started to write again another article.

Carefully and neatly, she scribbled her first few sentences on the page with a pen and concentrated on her work. Her eyeglasses slid again from the bridge of her nose, and again she put it back into place.

Kari was determined to get this thing. She wanted to grab that spot as the feature editor and photographer of the school's paper- her goal for this sophomore year. And she wasn't going to waste that perfect opportunity.

It's been almost forty minutes since she sat in the gym bleachers and it took less than a moment for the place to be occupied by the varsity team.

Of course. She thought it would help her make the item seeing as she was featuring the team for their victorious win last year in the state championships; but she found out that she was wrong.

It didn't help her give any inspiration on her work, but rather, the exact opposite. It distracted her. And in that span of 40 minutes, she hasn't written anything worthy of a 'yes' from the Editor- in- chief.

Taking a break from her already painful nape, she looked up from her notebook to see the team practicing. They were going through firmly to keeping their title for this year's competition. The rest of the players were shooting in hoops but one was on the bench sitting. And that's when she spotted a pair of electric blue eyes staring at her. Surprise ran across her face through the lens of her glasses widening her eyes at his unexpected intent look.

Takeru.

And in a split of a second, she embarrassedly looked away, focusing on something else, other than that beautiful carved face of a blonde Adonis. The famous star player, MVP, Asst. Team Captain of the Odaiba High Falcons.

It started during their freshmen that she developed this tiny crush on this famous super hot killer of a basketball player, and until now, that small feeling still lingers. Since the day she saw him play at court, it was like the explosion of the world. She couldn't take her eyes off him. Something about him and the game caught herself off guard. Nonetheless, that was just it. It was only him in the court that gave something away. But outside, by the corridors, in classes or anywhere, she'd just steal glances towards him admiring everything there is to him, an idol. For short, crush when he's in court, and idol when not.

Not only her though. Girls in her school do idolize him too much, desperate for his attention. Even senior girls have the guts to give them their numbers. The only difference is she wasn't too obsessed with him. Unlike other showy, aggressive, pretentious and exaggerated girls, she was the opposite. Simple, timid, shy, innocent and determined.

The shoulder- length chestnut hair and chocolate eyed sophomore with the eye glasses was not the one to chase on the limelight and probably the not- so- attention- grabbing girl in Odaiba High School.

_Sure_, she thought to herself. _Almost every girl practically flings themselves to him. What's the big deal if he looks at me anyway? Sure he had looked at other prettier, sexier and better girls than me. There's nothing to be self- conscious about. Maybe he's just wondering what I'm doing here in their practice. Probably disturbing them._

As her eyes remain fixed on the notebook on her lap, she remembered the matter she was supposed to be doing. She should have written a paragraph from the time she sat on the bleacher.

But nothing happened. All the while, she had been sidetracked by the distractions. Rather, the _only_ distraction. How in God's name was she going to end up being placed in her wanted position?

Giving up, she shoved her things into her small black backpack and stood up. She readjusts the place of her eyeglasses and took all courage to see if he was still watching her. And thankfully to ease her uncomfortable state, he was talking to his other teammate.

She carefully went down, books in hand, and headed off to the exit. The door was on the other side so you'd have to cross the court to get out. Luckily, no one was shooting balls so it was safe to go under the ring.

Just as she was about to finally walk out of the door, she deliberately looked back and saw him focus on her again.

Quickly, she snapped her head from his scrutinizing eyes and left out grateful that no one noticed her except him. Attention was the last thing she wanted, and she wouldn't dare take the humiliation of having to trip herself just because of consciousness that he was staring before she left.

•-•-•

"Kari!"

She turned back to see who was calling her and found her best friend, the long blonde haired Zoe running towards her.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Where.. have you.. been? I've been.. looking.. for you.. all over.. the place," Zoe asked her between pants.

"I was in the gym making my article, which turned out to be nothing," she showed her blank notebook.

"Hmm. Well you better make it quick. The submission will be on Friday."

"Yeah I know," the brunette mentioned with a frown. "Well, I should get home early today and start this thing. I don't want to pass any trash to the editor."

"Oh, alright. I was hoping we'd have dinner at this café, but then, I guess I'll ask Kouji if he could come."

"Sorry."

"Sure. Maybe next time then. See you. Good luck with your article," Zoe turned and waved goodbye heading to the gym to see Kouji, her boyfriend.

Kari started walking home which was three blocks away from school and it was already sunset. Tomorrow, she needed to take shoots of the basketball team. If she was making a feature article about the varsity, well she should also take the pictures about them. An easy one topic. And she just found out that her one easy topic was not even close to the word 'easy'. Why did she choose this topic anyway? She didn't have a clue herself.

The walk to her home was quite long and silent, especially without someone to accompany you. Usually, she goes home along with Zoe since they were neighbors, but this time, she was waiting for Kouji- not that she minds though. It's not really comfortable having to walk alone particularly when it's almost getting dark.

Finally, she reached the front door of their house and turned the knob open.

"I'm home," she called out to mainly no one.

"Hey sis," Tai greeted as he went out of his room. "Mom and dad are out. We'll have dinner to ourselves."

She went to her room and dropped her things, changed clothes and walked towards the kitchen.

"I'll make dinner this time. I don't want you poisoning me with your cooking," she smirked at her older brother.

"Hey. You better thank me for not letting you starve," he shot back.

"I'd rather starve than eat toxin from your food," she laughed.

She started cooking dinner while Tai just waited and watched TV from the living room.

"So, how's school?" Tai sked.

"You're actually asking?"

"A brother could ask, right? And besides, I care," he joked.

"Whatever. Well, I'm trying out this spot for the school paper, but I haven't written any article yet."

"What are you writing about?"

"The varsity team."

"Cool. Yamato's brother plays there right? Nice kid."

"Uhh, yeah, he does," she quietly stammered and blushed as she remembered the stare he had given her in the gym.

The intent gaze of his beautiful blue eyes was captivating that imagining it made her face slightly crimson again.

"So how's first year of college? Do you still get in touch with Yamato?" she attempted to change the subject.

"Yeah. College's fine. Just missing the good old high school days."

A while later, she prepared the table and the food and started eating dinner. It was Tai's semester break and he would be around for the two whole weeks. Unfortunate for her, she doesn't have their break. So he would be with her in the house for the meantime.'

"Oh. Did you cook enough dinner for four?" tai suddenly asked.

"Uhm. Maybe, why? If you don't eat like a pig, the food might be enough," she joked.

"Very funny," he said sarcastically. "I kinda forgot to tell you. I invited Matt for dinner. You know catching up with things. I don't know if he'll bring his brother along."

That very thought quickly stopped her from her joking and suddenly became still, too surprised to even make her jaw drop.

"Oh. I ddon't knnow," she stammered. "It could fit I guess. I'll just cook some more food in case." And she then began to prepare again.

"You sure it's okay?"

_Ok?! Ok?! What's ok with Matt's brother coming here? He was giving me stares all the while in the gym and I don't even know how to react with that._ She mentally panicked.

"Hey sis? Is it okay? I could cancel it."

"Huh? Oh, yeah sure."

She continued to make additional food for their 'visitors' and talked with herself on what she was going to do when the blondes would arrive. Her heart was thumping eccentrically in nervousness.

As she mixed the bowl of salad on her hand, she didn't notice how the lettuce would have been crunched if she didn't mix it too forcefully. The adrenaline rush was present- the result of her anxious waiting.

The doorbell suddenly rang and the bowl almost dropped if she wasn't holding it above the table. She quickly prepared the food and cleaned the remaining trash.

"I'll get it," Tai shouted.

Kari washed her hands and took off her apron, only to remember she was wearing only a pink shirt and white shorts. She could have gone to her room and changed if the guys hadn't appeared in the dining room altogether.

She looked up, and the first pair of eyes she saw was his blue ones staring at her. She quickly looked at the three, adjusted her eyeglasses and greeted them.

"Hey. Dinner's ready."

_Stupid. Dinner's ready? That's so lame._ She thought to herself.

"C'mon. Let's eat," announced Tai. They all went towards the round table and took seats except Kari who has gone to her room.

"Hey, where are you going?" called Tai.

"Just a sec. I'll fix something."

Once inside her room, she couldn't help breathing unevenly at the presence of Takeru. Do they have to stare at each other for twice a day? She looked in the mirror and tried to tie her hair in a ponytail. No wonder he was staring at her just then, her hair was slightly messed.

After that, she went back to the dining room. Takeru shifted his gaze at her arrival and she couldn't help notice that he had turned his head towards her. It was making her so self conscious. He then concentrated on his food as she sat beside her brother and Matt, opposite to TK.

Their brothers talked about a lot of things- college, cars, sports, old times and more while the two sophomores just kept quiet.

After dinner, the two guys continued with their catching up, oblivious to the fact that they left their siblings to themselves in awkwardness. Matt and Tai were in the living room laughing.

Kari started to clean the table and wash the dishes as TK stood quietly in the corner. Who was to start the conversation anyway? They weren't even close. They had different group of friends.

Without hesitation, he helped her put the dishes in the sink, embarrassed to just stand there and watch her work.

"It's okay. You don't need to help me do the cleaning," she said.

"I don't mind. I wouldn't be doing anything else anyway."

She tried to smile. "Thanks."

She started on soaping the dishes while he rinsed and put them in place. There was a short moment of silence before their conversation began.

"So, what brought you in the gym this afternoon?" he asked.

"I was working on an article. I'm trying out a spot in the school paper."

"Oh. What are you writing about?"

"I'm featuring the varsity team," she said directly.

"Cool. So, you're like featuring us?" he asked with a sudden playful egoistic tone.

The way he said 'us' caught her off guard and slightly blushed. "Uhm. Kinda."

"Nice. You should show it to me, afterwards or before you pass it. I want to read it," he said enthusiastically.

This made her look up to him in surprise. "Why?"

"I just want to. If it's okay with you of course," his tone was serious.

"Uhm. Of course. It's okay," she went back to the dishes on her hands.

"So have you started anything?"

"Truthfully, not. When you arrived in the gym, I couldn't concentrate." The focused expression he was giving her, making her eyeglasses fall and blush crimson.

"Oh. Sorry about that."

"It's not your fault. The gym's your spot anyway."

He let out a small laugh.

"So where's your spot?" he asked in amusement.

"Huh?" she looked at him questioningly.

"If you say the gym's my spot, where's yours?"

"Hmm. Anywhere, I guess. As long as I have my camera with me. I love photography," she explained.

"Really? That's cool."

"I don't think so. You're the one who's cool. I mean, it's not all the time a basketball varsity team could have a sophomore for the assistant captain or star player. Mostly the juniors and seniors take that spot."

"Maybe I'm just lucky."

_And handsome_, she thought.

"Maybe.." she finished the last dish and dried up her hands. He too did the same.

She took off her apron again and hung it.

"What do you want to do?" she asked.

"Anything. What do you want to do?"

"Let's just go outside the porch. I'm not really used to having guys over to visit. Except Yamato though."

"Ok. Sure."

They both walked towards the door, passed the two older guys. He held the door open for her and she tripped on the doormat on the way out. Luckily he was able to catch her with his arm around her waist. She felt very embarrassed and uneasy to feel the touch of his arms. The red color was on her face again. She was doing a lot of blushes lately.

"You alright?" he asked as he slid out his arm from her stomach.

"Yeah, thanks." She stood up straight and fixed her hair and the eyeglasses that slipped on the bridge of her nose.

He looked at her while she did this and could not help but laugh.

"You look cute," he said in enjoyment. This made her eyes widen and eyebrows crunched up. For all she knew, her face was all shades of red. He laughed and added, "Especially when you blush."

She pouted her lips. "Yeah yeah whatever." She couldn't help hide her embarrassment as she walked outside and sat on the stairs of the porch. He then went to sit by her.

"What do you usually do by this time?" she asked.

"Shoot hoops in the court across our house."

"Don't you get tired of that? Coz that's what you always do at school and you keep doing it at home."

"Don't you get tired of taking pictures?" he questioned back. "I mean I did say it's cool, but I just don't get it. What's fun in taking pictures? I don't see anything entertaining in it."

This time, it was her that laughed. "You people just don't see it- the art of contrast, color and balance. There's this beautiful part in it- of how you take the picture, the angle, position, everything. I find it cool."

He grimaced. "I'm sorry. I couldn't understand you."

"You're an insult, aren't you?" she joked.

"Absolutely," he smiled. "So what about you? What do you do this hours?"

"I usually type articles or stories in my laptop, or read novels."

He grimaced again. "You're weird."

She crunched up her eyebrows. "I am not." She lightly punched his shoulders.

"Your punch couldn't even hurt," he teased.

"Whatever."

"So you like books and novels and writing and photography?" he summarized the things he knew about her.

"Yep."

"Unbelievable." He shook his head.

"What's so special about basketball anyway? All you do is shooting the ball in the ring."

"Hah. That's what you think. You just don't experience the adrenaline rush. The burn and heat in the body when you play the game. And the feeling of victory when you win. It all feels so good."

"Well I don't feel that."

"I bet you don't," he assured. "And I'll never understand those contrasts and angle and whatever those were."

Both of them smiled at their irony. Suddenly, a question popped out of Kari's mind and she was having second thoughts about asking it.

Nonetheless, she gathered all her courage and let out the thought in her head.

"This afternoon...," she started hesitatingly.

"Yeah?"

"In the gym…"

"What's with it?"

"Uhm. Why were you staring at me?" She had her head bowed down away from his gaze, mortified at her question.

He was silent at first. Then turned his gaze, looking towards her without any direct answer.

•-•-•

**(a/n)**

Review please!


	2. Chapter 2

**(a/n)**

**Thank you SugarSpiral, Daniela, yAkArI-TaKaRi lUvEr, & enzo for your reviews! You were the first ones to review this fic.  
**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER o2**

_By_

**©ancercute**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

He cleared his throat to break the silence. "Uhm. Sorry but I thought you looked familiar. I thought…"

He couldn't continue what he was about to say, uncomfortable of telling it to her. He thought she didn't need to know how much she looked like his ex-girlfriend. It would probably ruin their building friendship and make it awkward. His bitchy ho-faced whiny show-off nasty girlfriend. But Kari was beyond anything similar to her.

_With the brown hair she somehow looked like her, but off course, Kari's better,_ he thought.

"Never mind. Don't tell me if it's too personal," she spoke.

"Sorry."

"That's ok. It's just weird to have you staring like that."

"How did I stare at you anyway?"

_Like a drop dead gorgeous unattainable god_, she answered mentally.

"Like I was a monster."

"Oh c'mon. That's a big joke," he began to laugh, making her forget of the idea in her head- of how he was hiding something.

"Sure, whatever you say."

"So tell me about the books you read and the stories you write."

"Stories I write- too embarrassing. The books I read, fair enough. I'm actually a huge fan of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight and JK Rowling's Harry Potter. Edward Cullen is so hot," she said with an enthusiastic smile.

"Who? What?"

"Stephenie Meyer and JK Rowling," she repeated.

He crunched up his eyebrows.

"You don't know them?"

He twisted his head. "Seriously?! No?! You never heard of them?" she asked in surprise.

"No and never."

"That's impossible. They're like the most famous authors in the 21st century."

"Well, call me dumb, but I never heard of them."

"You're overreacting," she commented.

"But have you heard of Carmelo Anthony? Pierce? Iverson?" he challenged.

"Of course," she retorted with her chin up. "Just now." And then she laughed.

"Insane," he muttered. He did find it funny how she laughed softly and shyly. Like she was this quiet and conservative type of girl, yet she could be crazy once you get to know her. And a novel geek for a fact. Vey cute.

"It's getting late. What time are you leaving?"

"I don't know. It depends on my brother."

"Why did you come anyway?"

"Why? Don't you want me here?"

"It's not that. I mean, we're not really close friends to be talking and hanging out."

"Well we are now. Don't you think you're lucky?" he asked egoistically.

"Hah. And I'm the one who's lucky," she retorted, hiding her smile as she mentally admitted she was truly lucky.

She bit her lip, trying hard not to smile, and looked up at the bright full moon above them that night.

•-•-•

Hurrying down the path to the Student Council building where the Odaiba High Newspaper organization workplace was located, Kari hectically arranged her disordered papers in her binder. She was frantic to get there on time that morning before the editor-in-chief would leave for lunch, and unluckily for her, the subject she just attended had overtime.

She was going to pass the feature article she wrote last night, the moment after he left her house, leaving her inspired. For her photos, she was going to take them today, since tomorrow would be the deadline of everything. She put the strap of her sling bag in place as it was sliding off her shoulders, and at the moment she adjusted it, her papers flew all over the ground because of the blowing wind.

"Man", she muttered in frustration.

She bent to pick them up and gathered all of them except one that flew forward. She stood back up and ran towards the flying paper, with her mocha hair swirling in front of her face.

The paper stopped on the ground and she went closer to it. But it landed in front of someone and that someone bent to take it, read the article covering the person's face.

"Uhm, excuse me," Kari said politely.

The person took the paper away from his sight and looked at who's voice it was.

"Oh Kari," TK greeted. "This is your article?" he handed it to her.

The look on his face was utterly fainting.

"Yeah. Thanks. I was going to pass it right now," she explained fixing her tangled hair and adjusting her eyeglass in place. She took the paper from him.

"You said I could read it."

"I'll send it to you. Do you check your mail?"

"Rarely."

Kari frowned. "I'll just send it anyway. Listen, I have to hurry. I need to pass this right now."

"Hey, no prob."

She was going to rush off when he quickly held her wrist and said "wait." She stopped, surprised, and then he stepped closer, hovering her. A blush crept to her pale face as the scent of his fragrant perfume entered her nostrils. He was so close that she could hear him breath, feel the intensity of their closeness. He touched the hair on her head, saying "there's a leaf stuck in your hair."

He took the leaf and threw it and she became red-faced as ever. Hiding her appearance, she thanked him.

"Sure. So I'll see you later then," he stepped back parting his closeness to her.

"Right," she replied as the normal color of her face returned and they both parted. Now, she wasn't as frantic as a while ago to get to the Student building. She was dazed at his touch, his scent and her blush returned only to be deepened when she thought of him. She could have forgotten what she was supposed to do if he hasn't been that close to him. And truthfully, she hasn't been too close with guys, being the shy girl she was.

Shaking her head, she continued to the building and went inside, passing her article to their Editor-in-chief, Mimi.

After doing that, she went to her next period, Gym- her most hated subject, the only thing she sucked at. Well, at least she had her best friend with her in that period.

She entered the gym and all of the girls went to change in the locker room.

"So did you pass your article yet?" Zoe asked.

"Yeah I did. All that's left is to take pictures. How were you yesterday with Kouji?"

"It was okay. I'm just a little angry at him right now. Last night, by 10, he was still playing basketball with Takeru. He doesn't give the game a rest," the blonde told as she tied her hair in a ponytail.

"Oh. So they were still playing." _After he left_.

"Yeah, they never get tired," her friend spoke out pissed.

All the girls went out to the court to play volleyball. Kari groaned and muttered "sports".

They went to their designated positions and the game started. She was placed at the back, trying her hardest to play it right. More times, she missed dodging it back and a few times, she crashes with her teammate. And a few minutes later, some of the basketball varsity players entered the gym with Takeru. She instantly- without mistake- recognized the blond.

Kari's heart rapidly reacted. _No_, she thought. _I can't embarrass myself in front of him. I'll be completely humiliated._ As those thoughts rambled in her brain, she didn't notice the ball coming towards her. When it came nearer, she instantly blocked her face with her hands and dodged the ball away, only to hit her teammate in her front.

"Oh, sorry," she cried. She bit her lip at the stunt she made. The basketball guys settled on the bleachers and watched the continued game. Takeru looked at her as she played in the court, remembering her words from last night- 'the gym's your spot'. Now, he wanted to see how she was in his spot. He smiled… or grinned rather.

Kari noticed the twitch in his lips and reminded herself to concentrate. For several times, the ball came to her and she did her usual reaction, dodge it and hit her teammates, saying a lot of 'sorry' to them. It was only twice or thrice did she get a decent catch or hit of the ball. Complete humiliation washed her face.

When the game was done, they changed back into their clothes and headed out the gym.

"C'mon, let's have lunch," Zoe said.

"Yeah, let's go, I'm hungry." They both walked to the cafeteria and fell in line with trays in their hands.

"Gym sucked," Kari commented.

"For you of course. It was fine for me. TK was laughing at you," the blonde stated as she took a slice of pizza and a plate of carbonara.

Kari's eyebrows crunched at her.

"Well, he didn't exactly laugh at you. More like a smirk," she explained. "I saw him do that. He was sitting beside Kouji."

The brunette sighed. "He's such an insult. He was doing that since last night."

"Last night?"

"Well, you know, Tai's at home. He invited Yamato for dinner and he came along."

"Oh. Wasn't it awkward? I mean, you two aren't even that close."

"Yes it was! At first. But we did talk…" she trailed off thinking their moments last night. She remembered she tripped and he held her waist. How simple little actions could mean so much to her. She blushed at recalling those things.

"OMG! You're blushing," Zoe exclaimed. "You definitely have a thing for him!"

"Sshh! Quiet," she silenced her. "Who doesn't anyway?"

"Why didn't you tell me anything? Spill," she excitedly said walking to a round table with their food.

"What's there to tell? There's no big deal last night. We just talked."

They sat down and began to eat their lunch.

"Little Kari's having a crush with the Varsity's MVP," Zoe joked. "Fine, if you won't tell me anything. That's not so much of a big deal anyway. Almost half of the female population here does have a crush on him. You'd be lucky enough to be his girlfriend. I heard he broke up with her first girlfriend just two weeks ago. The girl has a lucky past, don't you think? I don't even know her name. Probably she's wandering around the school bragging about her ex," she continuously ranted.

"Rumors were saying she's a junior, and they kept their relationship a secret. Don't know why though. Kouji gave me little details about it…"

Kari tried to keep up with her friend as she took bites with her pizza. Her eyes spotted a group of four guys entering the cafeteria as Zoe rambled on and on. It was Takeru, Kouji, Ken and Takuya, some basketball players. Takeru noticed her and smiled. She too smiled back.

TK went on conversing with his friends as they went in the line, and her gaze followed him._ Why does he have to be so handsome?_ She thought. _The neatly gelled golden hair, his dazzling smile, the look of his absurdly striking face…_

Zoe observed her and looked over to where her friend was looking.

"Speaking of him.." she said. "Any minute now, some girls would come near him and make up some small talk. Desperate females."

And it did. As Takeru grabbed some food, a honey blonde girl came up to him smiling, attempting a conversation and touched his arms. TK faked a smile and tried to get rid of her in a friendly manner. Then, when he was paying his food, another black haired girl stood up from her seat, bringing her tray of finished food and purposely bumped her shoulders with his and then flirtingly apologized.

Zoe and Kari grimaced at the sight. They were both watching _those_ scenes. The boys were all quietly laughing at TK now.

The group took a table near the girls and Kouji automatically put his tray on the table, turned his seat and sat beside Zoe.

He took her hand and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away that I was playing last night."

"What time did you finish?"

He sighed before answering, "11:30."

Zoe gave him a glare- a surprised angry glare. Kari was concentrating on her food, butting out of the two's business.

"Look, I'm really sorry. Forgive me?" Kouji pleaded quietly but seriously.

"Alright."

"Thanks," he pecked her cheeks and turned his seat towards the guy's table. "I'll make it up to you."

The girls were finally finished eating. They took their trays and left the cafeteria.

"You were right TK," voiced Takuya out. "She looks like your ex. Only she's cuter. The shy girl with the glasses."

"The huge difference is your ex was a bitch," added Kouji.

"Yeah. True," agreed Takeru.

"So what's up with you two?" asked Kouji. "You were at her place last night."

"He was?" asked Ken and Takuya.

"Nothing. We're just friends."

"Since when?" questioned Takuya.

"Since last night. My brother is friends with his brother."

"Cool," Takuya stated, receiving looks from the others.

"So you're plain friends?" confirmed Kouji.

"Yup."

•-•-•

Late in the afternoon, Kari dashed to the gym after her last period, attempting to catch the varsity team practicing. She needed to take pictures of them for the photo critiques, and it should be related to the article she wrote. As always, she was to hurry for she needs to develop them right away so she could get it early in the morning to be passed. And hopefully, she wouldn't stay too long for night to catch her.

Pushing the big heavy gym doors, she went inside and saw almost half the team shirtless, playing basketball. She was embarrassed to think that she was the only one here not member of the team and of opposite gender. She spotted the shirtless Takeru and almost gawked at his beautiful abs, but then she quickly turned away. Luckily, she found Zoe and Kouji sitting in one of the benches near the court. She went closer to them.

"Hey Z," Kari said.

"Oh hey. You here to take pictures?"

"Yeah. Uhm Kouji," she turned to him. "Is it okay if I take pictures?"

"Sure. Just don't use flash," he said then tapping Zoe's lap telling her he'll leave for a moment to practice.

"Ok, thanks," she appreciated when he left, and then turned to Zoe. "You'll wait for him?"

"He's going to make it up for last night."

"I see," she took her camera, turning it on and adjusted it.

She began to take different pictures of different actions and players. Even though they were moving, she took them in perfect angle, not one picture is blurred.

"Won't you get bored of waiting?" asked Kari as she finished up taking photos.

"No. They'll be done in a few. Bet you only took TK's picture."

"Haha, right. I'll catch you later. I have to get these developed." She turned to walk away towards the door.

"Girl, he's hot when he's shirtless," shouted Zoe out loud from behind, hearable to the players, which caused the brunette to blush furiously. She did notice a while ago and she didn't want to get her sight stuck to him. Zoe and her loud mouth. There was a tiny part in her that wanted her feet to turn back and marvel over his beauty, but responsibility calls.

She walked to the school studio which was fortunately open, and waited in line since several students also wanted to get their pictures. After a few moments, she reached the counter and handed over her camera so the photos would be developed.

It was almost dark when she got outside, and she has to walk a few blocks to her house. She was by the school gates and was about to cross the street when someone from behind called her. She turned to see who it was and found TK.

"Hey. You're going home?" he asked.

"Obviously. Where else?" she replied with a laugh.

"Right. The guys wanted to dinner out. Wanna come?"

"Do _you_ want me to?"

"Sure."

"I don't know. I'm not really close with your friends. And besides, isn't this a varsity thing?"

"Don't worry. They're harmless. Zoe's coming too."

"I haven't told Tai I'd be late."

"Then call him. Do you have your cell?"

"My batteries are dead."

He took out his cellphone and dialed someone.

"Hey Matt. Could you ring Tai? I'm kinda inviting Kari dinner with the team. Her phone's dead."

"Ok, thanks." He kept his phone and turned to Kari. "So?"

"Fine. I'll come."

"Great." He called to his back, "Guys, Kari's coming."

Replies of 'sure', 'whatever', 'nice', 'yeah' were thrown to him.

They both joined the group and headed to a restobar. Zoe had her eyebrows lifted at her friend as she came beside her and whispered "bad girl."

Kari only laughed.

As they entered the place, Kari suddenly clung closely to TK, holding his arms.

•-•-•

**(a/n)**

**Review again please. Thank you. See you soon in my future updates. Hey, mind reading my Mimato fics and tell me what you think.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**(a/n)**

(12.o1.o8)

I have downloaded the Twilight film in the internet! Haha. I'll just wait for the original DVD to come out.. yeah.

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER o3**

_By_

**©ancercute**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

Takeru was surprised at Kari's sudden actions and looked down at her. She only smiled at him, so he also smiled back. The group took a long table and settled there. Kari sat between TK and Zoe.

"What were you doing?" whispered Zoe to her.

"I'm sorry, I know that was embarrassing. But I saw Daisuke."

"Oh. Right. But nice move anyway," she giggled.

"Whatever."

TK took his seat and the boys were ordering their food. The team was joking and laughing and were all being noisy.

"What do want to order?" he asked her.

"Whatever's on the menu."

"Alright." He told the waitress their order, and as soon as she left, Kari spoke.

"I'm really really sorry for I did just this moment. Very sorry, but I saw Daisuke."

"That guy from the soccer team?"

"Yeah. I'm really sorry."

"Sure. Who is he anyway?"

"He's just a crazed annoying hard headed suitor who won't leave me alone."

"Nice," he smirked.

"You know, you keep on making ironic remarks."

He just smiled. The food then came and the group began to eat, make jokes and talked about different stuff. Kari found herself laughing at some of the guys' jokes.

"How's the critic coming?"

"I'll be able to know if I got in on Friday. I hope I do."

"You will, and you should. You featured us and no one is going to say no if I'm in it," he proudly said.

"Yeah right. But hopefully I could."

They spent a few more times chatting and Kari lost track of time. The only time she remembered it was when she felt her wristwatch.

"Oh, darn it. I have to go. It's getting late," she announced as she looked at her watch that read 10:45, and rose from her seat.

"Fine fine. Let's go," Takeru also stood up.

"I'm not pulling you out of your fun. Don't worry, I'm not asking you to come with me," she defended when she heard the tone of his voice.

"What? Do you think I'd let you go home by yourself? I've got manners you know. And besides, Tai might kill me if anything happens to you."

"Okay, okay. But you don't hold any responsibility with me. It's not your fault if something happens."

"Technically, it is mine since I invited you to eat out with us."

"Riiight, sure."

They both said their goodbyes to the group as Kari earned a grin from Zoe, and together left the restobar. The sky was tainted pitch black with the million twinkling stars and the only crescent moon. They walked beside the sideway guided by the street lights on the dark nighttime.

The walk was silent, the awkward kind of silence. Neither of the two said anything, and to Kari's case, it was because of shyness. It was unbelievable since she even had the guts to do what she did with TK, clinging to him. And now, she couldn't pronounce a single word to him. Probably, she was totally humiliated of herself regarding her actions.

While walking besides each other, their hands bumped and touched. The pink blush crept to her face again at the feel of his hands.

"You're quiet," he suddenly broke the dead silence with his childish grin.

"Uhm," she then laughed a shaky laugh. "I don't have anything to say."

"You're a quiet person aren't you?"

"Well, kinda. That's what they say."

"You should go out more often."

"Uhm. Right. Sure."

After a few more moments of silence, she finally decided to ask, letting herself start the conversation.

"Where do you live anyway?"

"A block from the corner of yours. It's not that far."

"So you walk home by yourself?"

"Yeah. Most of the time. Does Tai stay there with you?"

"No. He's here because it's their semester break. He'll be gone after a few weeks."

He nodded. "So, tell me about Daisuke."

That made her crunch her eyebrows in wonder. "What do you want to know about him?"

"He's been courting you right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"For how long?"

She paused and mentally counted the months in her head.

"About a year, I think."

"A year?!" he bolted in amazement.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. I'm just amazed. You never said yes to him?"

"No. I rejected him several times but he's so stubborn. I just leave him alone. Sometimes, I pity him. It's awful that he keeps doing it and yet nothing ever goes back to him."

"Then why don't you give him a yes?"

"I don't like him."

"Simple as that?"

"Yeah. I mean, what's the point? The feeling's not mutual. You end up wasting your time."

He laughed and looked at the dark sky. "You're right. I bet your ex-boyfriends are laughing if they know about it."

She was uneasy about that subject. She looked down at the pavement she was walking on and lifted her eyeglasses in place. She let out a small laugh. "Uh. I never had one."

He then looked at her. "Never? Even one?"

"No. That's a dead end right there to our conversation if we talk about that."

"But some courted you right?"

"Right."

"And you never did accept even one?"

"No."

"You're incredible," he was amused at her answers. "Why?"

"Same reason. Never did like them."

"Who do you like?" he asked directly.

She blushed again and chewed her pink lips, then smiled.

"It's not worth knowing."

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Uh huh. So what about you?"

"I've had only one. We dated for a month and then I broke up with her."

"Why?"

Before he could answer, they reached the porch of her house.

"It's not worth knowing," he grinned at her as he repeated her words.

She pursed her lips and tried to unsuccessfully hide her smile.

"Right. Well, thanks anyway." She said grabbing the doorknob. She went inside and smiled before closing the door, acknowledging her gratitude.

He stayed outside until she finally closed the door and walked home alone.

•-•-•

It was 7:30 am when Kari woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. When she looked at the time, she frantically threw her covers and hastily ran to grab her towel and dash to the bathroom. She was going to be late. She didn't have enough sleep last night since she already closed her eyes by 12:45 am.

After taking a bath, she snatched a pair of faded jeans and a navy elbow length sleeved shirt. She hurriedly put on her Airwalk slip-ons and looked outside the window only to see a gray gloomy sky. At the last minute, she took her sling back and hooded jacket and ran outside. There wasn't any vehicle passing the streets so she decided to rush through school. It was three blocks away.

When she was a block afar, it started to shower and rain. She put on her hood and carefully ran towards the school gates. The cement was wet and full of puddles. The frigid wind blew in her face as the temperature dropped. She was 15 minutes late.

Kari went to her first class, Algebra and was soaking wet when she entered the room during the professor's discussion. All eyes were on her and she quietly walked to her desk.

Her free time came and the heavy dark clouds were still pouring rain. The school grounds were all wet, except those with roofs. She walked towards the cafeteria where Zoe was waiting for her in one round table in the corner. She lined up for her food and then came to her.

"Why were you late this morning?" she asked the brunette.

"I overslept. Of all days that could rain, it has to be when I'm late," she exasperatedly said.

"Haha. I know. What about those pictures you developed yesterday?" Zoe asked when her friend was about to bite her burger.

"Crap!" she cried. "I totally forgot! I was in a hurry. What time is it?" She was panicking again, going on hysterics.

"Relax. You're so uptight. It's still 11:45."

"What?! Listen, I have to go." She left her unfinished burger on the table, her only food and she wasn't been able to eat it all. "The studio closes at 12 and doesn't open till one. The deadline is 1 o'clock to the editor." She took her bag and got up. "I'm really sorry Z."

"No prob, but aren't you going to eat? You haven't had breakfast," her friend said with concern.

"Don't worry. I'll eat later," Kari shouted when she was by the cafeteria door.

She put on her hood and went to the photo studio under the endless rain. She got inside the air-conditioned room and wrapped around the jacket to herself. She was getting cold. Fortunately, the line wasn't long so she got her pictures in no time. She was going to the Student Council building to pass them and she didn't even take time to look at her shots. She was in a hurry.

She pulled the door of the studio open and out of the air conditioned room that was freezing her. When she stepped down the wet stairs, she got out-balanced and slipped to almost land on her butt if a hand hasn't caught her by the arm. She steadied herself when the hand released her.

"Watch where you're going," Takeru cautioned her.

"Oh. It's you. Thanks," she went down the stairs carefully and placed her loose eyeglasses on the bridge of her nose. They ran for shelter towards the pathway with a roof. Once they were out of the wet, Kari refrained from hurrying. She took out her pen and scribbled her name on the sealed pack of her pictures.

"What are those?" TK asked as they walked to the building.

"Pictures. I'm going to pass them to the editor. The deadline is this one and I have classes by 12:30."

"Oh. They'll post the results this day right?"

"Yup. Aren't you going to have lunch?"

"I will. After you hand those pictures," he said as he looked at the small sealed envelope in her hand. "You won't open it? To take a look?"

"I'd rather see it when I know if I get the spot or not. I don't want to guess by judging my shots."

"Alright. But you'll let me see them, won't you?" he grinned at her.

"Of course, I will." She smiled at him. And when she looked at his face, she was blown away by how much more handsome he looked in the rain. It was like he was glowing and the raindrops in his golden hair made it glisten and sparkle. As he smiled back, she couldn't help blush and look away.

"Have you had lunch?" he asked. "You've got a hectic schedule."

"Uhm. I ate two bites of burger," she replied quietly.

"For lunch?!" he confirmed.

"Yeah. I was in a hurry. I was late this morning. And I forgot to get the pictures a while ago. I just remembered it when I was in the cafeteria," she explained.

They reached the Student building and went inside. It was again air-conditioned and Kari shivered.

"You're cold," he stated.

"Well, the weather's cold and there's an air-condition. Do you think I'll sweat?" she joked.

"Haha. That's not funny," he laughed sarcastically. "You should've brought a denim jacket."

"Well, you can't help it if this is what I brought," she spoke as she found the room of the school paper editors. She went inside and TK tagged along.

"Uhm. I'm here to pass my pictures."

The girl in the desk looked at Kari, then to TK and then back to Kari.

"Sure. Come back at around 5pm. We'll post the results outside in the bulletin."

Kari nodded and thanked her. They both went out the room and the girl stuck her gaze at the back of the two.

"You should eat lunch. You've got nothing inside your stomach," Takeru stated with a tiny bit of worry.

"That's fine. I can manage. Besides, my class starts in a few," she assured.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup. Don't worry," she parted from him and waved bye, going to her next class leaving Takeru alone by himself who then left to the cafeteria to eat lunch. By the time he got there, he spotted Zoe and Kouji on the corner, in the same table that was occupied by Kari a while ago. He walked over to them after paying for his food.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked.

"Sure," replied Zoe. The two were finished having their meal and were chatting to let time pass.

"I bumped to Kari just before coming here," TK stated to Zoe, which made Kouji look at him, beginning to wonder what's with Kari and him.

"Oh? She was going to get her photos."

"Yeah. She did. Were you with her before she went there?"

"Uh huh. We were here in the cafeteria. She only ate two bites of burger!" she added.

"Right. She told me that," he said continuing to eat his pasta.

"She's so stubborn. She'd always let herself starve for things like that."

"Hey listen TK," Kouji cut in. "Mind if I skip practice today?"

"Why? You ask Mr. Team Captain."

"I have to go with Z here. She needs to do something after class."

"Sure, go ahead. I'll cover up for you."

"Thanks man."

"Hey, I have to go," Zoe announced getting up from her seat. "I have classes in a few minutes."

Kouji also rose from his seat and took her to her next glass, saying bye to Tk. He was left again to himself.

After he finished his food, he put back the tray and threw his trash in the garbage. He left the cafeteria and bumped with Kouji on the way out.

"Are you going to attend English?" he asked his blond friend.

"Absolutely," he answered rolling his eyes. "Like I have anything better to do."

The whole afternoon passed still in gloom, infinite shower of rain and ice cold wind. It was a bad Friday.

Later, after Kari's classes, she went to see the results. The large bulletin in the Student Council building was crowded with several students who attempted to fill in the spots of the school paper.

She made her way to the feature editor category and searched for the name below that title. When she found it, it wasn't hers. It was some other girl who goes by the name of Karyl. Disappointed, she went over to the Photography category and searched for the lucky person who caught the place. She couldn't help but smile when she read her name below the category title. It was her. She snatched the spot. She was the school paper photographer. She was overwhelmed with victory and self-satisfaction. Beside her name were the photos she took. And surprisingly, when she examined them, she felt the boil of her blood in her cheeks. Every photo had Takeru in it. She noticed that. He was present in every picture although when she took them, she didn't remember focusing on him. It just happened. The blonde guy in his green jersey shorts, shirtless. She was embarrassed at what came out, but she couldn't hide the smile that exposed on her face.

Not taking long, she went to the Editor's office and claimed her position. She was back face to face again with the girl behind the desk as she showed the girl her ID. She motioned to her place. The photographer's table, her spot. But she didn't linger in the office. She would start to arrange her things next week. For now, she needed to go.

When she was about to go out, another wavy brunette girl was acquiring in the front desk. She overheard what she was saying and learned that she was Karyl, the new feature editor. She turned her head towards Kari and was surprised at her presence. Surprised in a somehow rude way. She smiled a challenging smile, and Kari returned the gesture politely, although she could sense from her that she was full of pride and vanity. Nevertheless, she walked towards the door and noticed that Karyl was slightly shorter that she is, yet she was wearing a pair of three inch boots. It was plain obvious that she was the kind of girl who wore a lot of make up, heavy lipstick, flashy clothes, killer hills and flaunts a lot. But without further ado, she left the room, not knowing that Karyl was lifting her eyebrows at her back all the while.

Once outside, she began to feel the cold again and coughed. She left the air-conditioned room and ran under the rain towards the roofed pathway, where she met Zoe and Kouji walking hand in hand.

"Are you going home?" Z asked her friend who suddenly coughed again.

"Yeah. It's been pretty tiring all day. I'm exhausted," she managed to reply added with another cough.

"Are you alright?"

"Of course, I'm fine. I'm just tired that's all."

Zoe noticed her friend's lips were beginning to get pale. She took her hand which was surprisingly frozen in cold.

"Your hands are freezing!"

"Well, the weather is cold."

She didn't believe to Kari's answers. She put her hands on her neck and felt the intense heat of her skin.

"Kari! You're burning! You're sick," she said with concern.

"You should go home right away Kari and rest," advised Kouji.

"I will. Don't stress. I'm just low on fatigue right now." And that's when she felt the pain hitting her head hard like a baseball ball thrown to her skull. It made her shut her eyes in soreness. "Alright. I'll be going now."

That moment, the wind blew hard and made Kari shake. She chewed her already cold and dry lips. As she moved her shivering feet to step, the throb in her brain got worse and she got out-balanced. She fainted and fell on Zoe's arms.

"OMG! Kari," Zoe panicked.

•-•-•

**(a/n)**

(12.o7.o8) I'm done. It's exactly 11:10 in the evening. Lol. Reviews please. Thank you, and see you soon when I update.


	4. Chapter 4

**(a/n)**

**Thank you for those who sent me reviews! keep them coming.. and i hope you enjoy chapter 4!  
**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER o4**

_By_

**©ancercute**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

Kouji lifted Kari from Zoe's hands and carried her in his arms to the school clinic. Zoe walked beside him, worrying frantically about her friend.

"I should have forced her to eat at lunch," Zoe said. "She is so stubborn. She doesn't even think of herself! She knows she's not superman. Man, what am I going to do with you Kari?" As they proceeded towards the clinic, Takeru and Takuya were walking on the opposite direction when TK spotted the three.

"What happened to her?" he asked after running to them with Takuya on his trail.

"She fainted a while ago. We're taking her to the clinic," Kouji informed.

"Here, let me take her," he said, taking hold of her from his friend. Kari's face was pale, her lips were dry and her skin was hot, but she unconsciously shivered.

"I feel so horrible," Zoe spoke to herself as she stared at the brunette with a sick worried expression.

"I think we should hurry to the clinic," added Takuya. "She might get worse."

They all went to the clinic and took her to the nurse. They put her on the bed and covered her with a thick blanket. A warm soaked cloth was placed on her forehead.

"Why did she faint?" asked the nurse.

"She was all out in the rain today," TK explained.

"And she had a hectic schedule. She only ate two bites of burger this lunch. She didn't have breakfast in the morning," stated Zoe.

"Oh. Poor girl."

"She didn't have breakfast?" asked Tk sidetracked.

"No."

"So I should have forced her to eat lunch after we gave her photos," he whispered as he looked at the sleeping Kari.

"Yeah me too." After a few moments, Zoe remembered. "What time is it?"

"It's quarter to six," Takuya answered her.

"Man. Kouji we have to go. I feel so bad about leaving her," she frowned.

"Don't worry. You can go. I'll take care of her," Tk assured. Kouji looked with wonder at his friend at the sudden concern he was giving Kari, but didn't say a word about it.

"Do that, alright? I'll see you all tomorrow. Let's go Kouji," she waved to the rest grabbing her partner's hand.

"Later man," Kouji said and they both disappeared.

"I have to go too Tk. It's still raining you know," Takeru told him. "My mom might worry."

"Sure."

"Alright. Hey, you better call her parents," he then went away.

"Crap! Her parents," he muttered to herself. He checked his pockets for his phone, but didn't find it with him. "Aw. I must have left in the gym with my bag. Stupid." He groaned.

He thought of using her cell and figured it was in her bag. He hesitated looking in her bag without her permission and might find some things he shouldn't. But it was for her sake anyway. So he did search inside.

Unfortunately it wasn't there.

_Where is her cell?_ He thought. He pulled away her blanket and found her pocket jeans bulky. Her cellphone was in her pocket. No way is he going to get it from there.

Troubled, he pondered on how he was going to contact her residence. If he used a telephone, he still won't be able to know the number. The only thing he did was call the nurse and asked her to get Kari's phone from her pocket for him. The nurse was slightly amused. Using her phone, he called Tai.

"Hello, Tai. No it's not Kari, it's Tk. Uhm. Kari kinda fainted and she's here in the school clinic sleeping."

"She's been here just a while."

"Okay. Bye."

He pushed end call and sighed over the situation. _What was Kari thinking? Going under the rain countless of times, not eating. Did she think she was a superhero? I'm sure she's not used to being physically tired. She should think of herself more often than her work._

_Why do I even worry too much about her?_

He sat down on a chair and pulled it beside her bed. He stared at her sleeping figure and marveled at how cute she looked, especially when her chocolate brown eyes were open behind those pair of lens in her eyeglasses. _She seems so peaceful in her sleep._

The room was still and quiet. The sound of the rain outside and the tick tock of the clock were making the sounds. But her breathing was the only solitary thing he listened to.

He put his hands on her neck and felt the strong heat that emitted through her skin. He did care about her, even though in just a matter of time that they became to know each other. To him, she was just so vulnerable. It's like she needs to be constantly watched.

A few more minutes passed and Tai came rushing through the door with a worried sick expression in his face. He immediately went beside Kari and touched her burning forehead.

"Why did she faint? What happened to her?" he asked anxiously.

"She was all out in the rain today- going back forth to different buildings to submit her requirements. She didn't eat lunch. Well, I guess two bites of burger," Tk explained.

Tai was agitated at his sister's behavior. "Stubborn child."

He looked for the nurse and asked her permission if he could take her home, claiming he was her brother.

"Sure, go ahead," replied the nurse. "You should put her to bed right away. Don't disturb her when she sleeps."

"Ok. Thank you ma'am."

Tai carried her in his arms and went straight outside the clinic where he parked his car. He put her inside the back seat.

"You," he motioned to Tk. "Hold her while she sleeps."

He was startled, but went inside beside Kari anyway as Tai seated to the driver's seat.

"Uhm. I have to get my bag in the gym."

They stopped first in the gym and Tk hurried to grab his bag, then returned inside the car.

"You were with her when she fainted?" Tai asked.

"No. She was with Kouji and Zoe. I passed by when they were carrying her to the clinic."

The ride passed by with a few questions from the older boy and Tk managed to answer him. By the time they arrived to Kari's place, Tai took her sister and placed her in her bed.

"Is she going to be alright?" asked the blond.

"Of course she will. You better go home now. Matt and your parents might be looking for you."

"Right," he then went to the door to leave.

"Oh, Tk," Tai suddenly said when he was about to go out. "Thanks for taking care of her."

"No prob," he smiled and left.

The sky was not pouring rain anymore, unlike before. It was dark, but clear. The stars and crescent moon were up. It was unlikely to rain again. Tk walked a block to his home and arrived with questions from his brother. Luckily, his parents were late from work.

"Where were you?" Matt asked.

"I got stuck in the clinic. Kari fainted and I called Tai," he explained dropping his bag and removing his shoes.

"Is she alright?"

"Probably."

He went straight to his room and lay down in his bed, playing with his basketball. He was worried over Kari. _What if something bad happens to her? What if her cold would last longer? If only I really pushed her to have lunch, she wouldn't be like this now. _

He somehow blamed himself for what happened to her. He was in some way acted indifferent towards her. He thought she was strong and independent. She seemed to be. She'd accomplish her works by herself; she's done things before without help. But he didn't know she was somewhat feeble. Yes, she was shy, but he didn't realize she could easily fall. There was a huge unconfident part in her. She was low in self-esteem.

No wonder she didn't look at the pictures before handing it over. She was unsure about her photos. She didn't trust herself for being good at anything, but the truth was she was good at it. He saw the pictures she took in the bulletin before he found Kouji and Zoe carrying her. Of course he doesn't know a thing about judging a picture, whether it was good or bad. But to him, she took them perfectly.

"TK! Phone!" Matt suddenly shouted from the living room. He got up from his bed and went to the other room, taking the phone.

"Hello?" he said.

"TK!" a girl from the other line greeted cheerfully.

"What?!" he annoyingly asked. He knew who it was, and she was the last person he wanted to talk to.

"Am I not allowed to call you?" she replied in a sad tone.

"No and never. Can't you just leave me alone?" he was pissed.

"I don't think I can do that. I've got news. Do you want to hear it?" she asked excitedly.

"No." There was firmness in his voice. "And I don't care."

"I'll tell you anyway.."

"Look," he cut her off. "I don't need to know whatever thing you want to tell me. So quit calling and go to hell." He wasn't really a rude person. Takeru was a 'full-of-himself' kind of gentleman. He was nice but somehow playful and egoistic. But he is never impolite, especially to a girl. Only with an exception to this one on the phone.

"Uh! Fine, whatever. You'll go back crawling to me anyway," the girl replied nastily and banged the phone down.

"Whore," Tk muttered to himself and put back the phone.

"Who was that?" asked Matt.

"The devil," he answered and sat down on the table to eat dinner. Matt then joined him.

The two didn't bother having a conversation through dinner since they had different things going on inside their head. For instance, Matt was having a performance tomorrow night with his band. On the other hand, Takeru thought of their training tomorrow in the gym. The varsity will have a competition next week and he wondered if all of them were ready. If he was ready..

As soon as he was done eating, he brushed his teeth and went back to his room.

The rain started its downpour again- now with thunders and lightning.

•-•-•

The following day, it was clear. Not sunny and dry, but cool, windy and moist. The sun was nowhere to be seen and the sky was fairly gray. Not a sign of rain, but the absence of sunlight.

In the corner of the streets, Zoe and Kari were having café au lait outside Starbucks. It was late in the morning and they were chatting endlessly like they haven't seen each other for a long time. Well, for Zoe that is.

The blonde girl was chattering nonstop while Kari just took pictures of anything she can find or that passes by along the road. It was a pretty fine weather for the two and they both decided to have fun or relax for the rest of the day. Especially for Kari's sake.

She became very well that morning. Her parents advised her to just lighten up, unwind and forget her work. No responsibilities for that day. She was obliged to clear her mind and enjoy the whole time. After all, she needed it. And she dragged Z along with her.

"Do you know how concerned Tk was over you yesterday?" Z told her.

"No I don't," Kari replied showing an indifference.

"Oh c'mon. You don't have to pretend like you don't care. You'd probably be blushing the whole time in the clinic bed if you were conscious," mocked the blonde. "For your info, he carried you himself in his arms when he took you there."

"You're just making that up," Kari defended when she began to feel her blood rise up, trying to prevent it from showing.

"Why would I?" challenged Z.

"Hmm," she thought. "Maybe you're just trying hard to make my day good because you really feel guilty of what happened to me. But it's not your fault of course."

Z raised her eyebrow. "You have a point. But I'm not saying that what I said is a lie. It is the truth," she stressed the last word.

Kari didn't respond to that, so Z dropped the subject. "You still haven't told me. What was the result yesterday?"

"Oh right," Kari suddenly remembered. "I got the photography spot!"

"Really? That's great! How about the feature editor?"

"No. Some brunette girl stole that place. It's okay though. At least I got in photography."

"So true," agreed Z. "Hey, what do you think about me being a cheerleader?"

That was a surprise. Kari thought of that for a moment and replied "Not bad actually. You could use your high spirits and restless voice for that. It's a perfect place for your noisy talent," Kari ended with a joke.

"I'm serious."

"So am I. You should try it."

"I will definitely. Try-out is on Monday. You better watch," she warned.

"Of course."

After a while, they left the café and headed to the mall. There they shopped for some clothes, bags, books and accessories. Kari spent almost one third of her time in the bookstore deciding on which novel she should buy. She was torn between two and she couldn't buy them both. It was either Pride & Prejudice or Wuthering Heights. She couldn't pick one. Heathcliff or Mr. Darcy? Love denial or angst?

Zoe tried to look at the books in the bookshelf although she wasn't a big reader like her. She seldom reads novels. So she waited for her friend, putting an extreme effort on being patient and admired over some books which have pretty covers.

Finally, Kari purchased Pride & Prejudice. She'd rather be in love with Mr. Darcy than become a violent hater like Cathy. She wouldn't want to throw the book in aggravation about the madness of the two main characters' behavior.

They both left the bookstore and went inside a shop full of countless dresses. Zoe quickly rummaged through the racks and looked for a perfect dress.

"What do you need a dress for?" Kari asked.

"Don't you remember? We're going to have an acquaintance party next month."

"That's a month away. Do you really want to buy your dress right now?"

"Of course. I can't wait," she said as she took a yellow cocktail dress and examined if it fits.

Kari sat down on the seat and looked at her friend while she dug in for dresses.

"You can look for yours," Z suggested.

"Sure. I'll see if something catches my eye." And in that moment, a green dress was pulling her sight towards it. She rose from her seat and took the dress from the rack. She lifted it and admired the pretty green dress.

It was a lime colored type of green that was strapless and reached an inch above her knees. The fabric was silk and small beads were neatly arranged on the lining of the torso. It was simple and elegant.

"What do you think of this?" she asked her blonde friend who turned to her.

"Oh. I think it matches your eyes. You should try it."

Kari went inside the fitting room and left Zoe to her quest to find the perfect outfit. She put on the dress and focused on herself in the mirror. It suited her well.

"So?" Kari asked when she came out, wanting her friend's critique.

"Wow! You should take it. It's impressive. Stylish actually."

"Great," Kari smiled.

If Kari had been uncertain on which book to buy in the bookstore, it was now Zoe's turn to have her crucial moment in choosing the better dress. Was it the purple v-neck backless dress or the pink spaghetti strapped bubble dress?

As Kari waited, she paid for her dress and began to start reading her book. When Zoe would ask for her opinion, she'd go for the pink one. But it wouldn't still satisfy her. She enumerated several reasons why she should buy either one of the two dresses and frowned at her indecision.

_What to choose? What to choose?_ Zoe thought over and over as she stared at the two outfits before her.

Finally, Kari was already in chapter 3 when Z officially bought the pink dress.

"You're done?" the brunette asked.

"Absolutely."

Their next destination was the department store. All chic and trendy bags were displayed all over the place. It was heaven for Zoe.

Kari was fine with those things. Of course, she buys them like every other girl. But she wasn't like those any other girls. She was simple, and she wasn't too girlish. That's why some say Z and her were like magnets. She was the north and the other was the south. The things they liked were different and you can hardly find anything that they share in common.

They were the only two costumers in the shop. Just after a few moments, they heard the loud sound of ticking heels coming toward the same shop. Kari turned to look at their company and found her again- the brunette in the school paper office.

When she surprisingly saw Kari, she stopped to her tracks and stared at her. They stared at each other for a second and Kari turned away. The other brunette kept a vain self-absorbed face and ramped to the other side of the shop to look at the bags, pretending not to care about the other girls in the same room. At the same time, she flipped her long wavy chestnut hair.

•-•-•

**(a/n)**

**How was it? Review please. Lots of love from me! See you again in my chapter five.**


	5. Chapter 5

**(a/n)**

[Finished 12.16.08] Exams this week. I am cramming!

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER o5**

_By_

**©ancercute**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

"Friends?" Kouji asked as he wiped his sweat with his towel. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Of course," Tk replied sitting down on the bench opening his jug of water. "Why? Isn't it obvious?"

"Well, it is," Kouji hesitated. "But I don't know. I think I'm seeing different things about you."

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked obliviously.

"Do you like her?" he questioned directly with full of curiosity.

That made him crunch his eyebrows, pondering for a second.

_Kari?_ he thought. "No. Well, I do like her as a friend. I mean she's nice. But not really like like."

"You're positive about that?"

"Of course," TK replied. _I guess._

Then, their team captain shouted, getting them back to training. It was their practice that Saturday, and that week, the interschool competition would begin. In the gym, all the players were concentrating on their drill. Except him.

_Kari? Like her?_ Tk thought. Now that Kouji brought it up, he couldn't help but also ask himself. He never saw her that way. Just plain friends. But why did it all of a sudden matter when his friend asked?

"TK!" one of his teammates shouted.

"Huh? What?" he turned his head, confused to who called him. Then, in a split of a second, he saw a big round orange ball sharply coming towards him. It was happening too fast that in no time, it hit his whole face.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry Tk," apologized Takuya who had passed him the ball. They continued to jog in the court starting to play the game.

"That's nothing. Didn't see that one coming," he laughed at himself for his unawareness, and found Kouji looking at him in wonder with knitted eyes. He just grinned stupidly like an immature kid caught doing something senseless.

The thought he was thinking really caught him off guard. It was foolish to show weakness in the game, especially if it was some mental conversation with yourself about a girl. That would make him lose concentration.

Shaking off his friend's question in his head, he focused himself on their practice game. Their competition will start this week, and every other game will follow. If they lose two games, they would automatically be out. There was no way he would let that happen. He was determined to win for the team. And others depended on him being the MVP and star player. There was a high record he wanted to maintain and this year, they will go for the top in the city.

TK dribbled the ball while he ran towards their ring, and passed it to Kouji. His friend threw him the ball again when he was in the 3-point line and held in with his two hands. In no moment of hesitation, he shot the ball in the ring and… it was a score! The coach blew his whistle after that final practice and dismissed his team, leaving them alone to their own businesses. TK rested on the bench wiping his sticky sweat, taking off his jersey and drank a whole lot of water. He rested his elbows on his thighs and shut his eyes. It was tiring. He breathed heavily but evenly as he thought about his current status as a basketball player. Was he getting better? He remembered last year- his first year on the team- he was good. Very good. But were there improvements now? He could only see that his arms grew muscles and his abs became harder. Yes, there were somehow developments about his physical condition, and he was happy about that. But, there was still something missing there. A thing he couldn't pinpoint to what was lacking with him and the game. Sure, he loved basketball. It's just that one thing though.

Straightening his back, he fixed all his stuff. He remembered that Kari was still sick and he didn't know if she was okay or if she's feeling better. He put on a clean dry green shirt and stood up, preparing to leave.

"Where are you going?" Kouji asked.

"I'll check out Kari. Is she still sick?"

"She's better now. She's with Z today. Zoe said they were going to have the day together," he explained.

"Oh, right," he nodded. "Maybe I'll hit home."

He waved his friends bye and headed out the gym. The others were still playing a game and training themselves for the upcoming match against other schools. But he chose to leave. He walked by himself on the school grounds and suddenly remembered about the results in Kari's tryout in the school paper. That made him wonder what happened before she was taken to the clinic- if she has seen the results of her work and how she reacted to that. So he turned left towards the Student Council building and checked the outcome of it himself.

The editors were still posted on the bulletin and he smiled when he read her name below the title 'photojournalist'. She got in after all her hard work.

_Well, that wasn't a surprise. _He thought. He did expect it though. When he turned towards the other category, his face turned to a filthy surprised expression as he saw the name Karyl. He couldn't believe that she, this girl, could beat Kari in feature writing and take the spot. He knew this girl, and he was entirely absolutely sure that she isn't worthy of taking the position she got in. Looking away, he focused himself on the pictures posted which Kari took. It was the team playing basketball inside the gym a few days ago. He saw himself on almost each picture but never did make it a big deal. It was obvious that he didn't know what the difference of balance and contrast was to the picture, and how to judge it. But by just looking at it, it makes him feel good and excited about the game.

After observing her pictures, he went straight out of school to get home. It was almost lunch time and he was still thinking of her condition all the while when he was walking to his place. He couldn't assure himself on Kari's state. It was clear what Kouji had told him, but he wanted to make sure himself. So he turned down the other street and headed to her house.

He knocked at the door by the doorstep and Tai opened it to see the blonde standing before him.

"TK. What brings you here little dude?" he asked.

"Is Kari alright now?"

"Yeah, she is. She's with Z this moment hanging out somewhere."

"Oh. That's great. Thanks, anyway. Good to know she's all better."

"I know."

"So, I'll be going now," he said and walked away. Tai stared at him from behind in a questioning expression. _He could have just called if he wanted to know. Why is he making it so difficult for himself to come all the way here?_

Tk continued walking home and reached his place. He called for Matt or his parents but no one answered him back. His mom and dad are always not at home lately, leaving him with his older brother. And Matt is probably practicing with his band at this moment.

He dropped his bag beside his bed and lay down for a rest. He shut his eyes and tried to concentrate on trying to sleep. But he wasn't sleepy. There was just nothing to do. He went to the kitchen and looked for food in the cabinet and fridge, but he found nothing good to eat. He turned on the TV in the living room but didn't find a single channel he's interested in. He considered going back to the gym and practice more, but he changed his mind straightaway. There was nothing good for him to do.

Giving up his vain attempts, he went back to his room and looked at Matt's side of the room. On his bed lay a blue acoustic guitar. He had two guitars actually- one electric and one acoustic. He leaves his acoustic one at home for free time and leisure purposes, and brings his electric one for band practices. And occasionally, TK would give in a try on his brother's acoustic guitar.

He took it and began to strum. He wasn't as passionate in music as his brother was, but he just tried to play with it. Truthfully, he can play two or three songs perfectly but only with the simple chords. He doesn't have enough time and determination to pursue it. He just does in times of boredom. And he could have died a while ago if he didn't see the guitar. Now, thankfully, he had something to do.

He was almost finished in playing one song when he heard the front door opening.

"Anyone home?" Matt called out.

"Here," shouted TK back.

Matt entered the room and would have burst in laughter in seeing his younger brother playing with his guitar if he wasn't so tried.

"Hey, I could have died in boredom if it wasn't for this thing," Tk defended when he put away the instrument.

"Just what exactly were you playing?" he asked in amusement.

"Some copy of compiled songs you had in your folder. You had them littering around here while you were in your dorm."

"Right," he laughed as he put down his electric guitar. "Had lunch yet?"

"No. And I'm starving."

"Too bad bro. I already ate," he replied back. "Here," he tossed him some money and quickly caught it. "Grab some food outside. Mom and dad are out of town. They left this morning. Won't be back till next week."

"Great," he muttered and slipped on his slippers, and headed out the door.

He went straight to the mall to find a good meal that he can enjoy to himself as his stomach was growling. He spotted an Italian restaurant that he knew was affordable and took a seat on one table in the middle. The diner was moderately full of people as he looked around for familiar faces.

He laid his back on the chair and ran his hand through his hair while waiting for a waitress. He spotted Kari and Zoe going inside the same restaurant and waved his hand in the air to grab their attention. It was Kari who first caught him and motioned for Zoe to look in his direction. TK signaled them to him to sit in the same table, and the girls did so.

"Hey, this is a surprise," Z said taking a seat beside Kari who was opposite to Tk.

The waitress arrived to their table and gave TK a menu, who handed it to Kari.

"What do you like to order?" he asked both of the girls but only faced the brunette. "Kari?" he spoke her name with a tone that made her wonder and self-conscious.

"I'll just have fettuccini and lemonade," she replied hiding a blush, handing the menu to Zoe.

Her friend scanned for the list of food in the carte de jour and ordered a ravioli and Coke. The waitress asked TK for his order and told to her to get him what Kari did making the brunette crunched up her eyebrows in surprise. The waitress excused herself and left her customers.

"Where were you this morning?" Kari asked.

"The gym. We were practicing," he explained and turned to Zoe. "Where's Kouji?"

"I told him to meet with us here," she replied as she finished sending a message in her phone. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

Z left both of them to themselves with their conversation while she prepared herself before Kouji arrives.

"How are you?" Tk asked extending his hands to touch her forehead. She bit her lips at the touch of his hands.

"I'm fine. My cold went down and I'm good," she replied looking down as he removed his hands from her forehead.

"So, you're the new student photographer?" he asked with a grin.

She lifted her head and eyeglasses in place and stared at him in a 'how-did-you-know' look. He laughed at her expression as she pursed her lips.

"I checked the bulletin a while ago. Too bad I can't say for the same for the feature editor place. It's a waste that you didn't get it. I'd bet you'd do better instead of that Karyl," he mentioned the girl's name with a little dislike.

"That's okay. At least I got in," she replied in a soft voice, without looking at him, being thoughtful. Her look was deep, as if she were thinking something puzzling. The crease in her forehead was visible and her eyebrows connected in the middle. He still found her fascinating, making himself amused.

He gazed at her face, trying to get what she was thinking. As if he could. So he decided to distract her.

"You took nice shots," he teased with a smirk. "I consider it so because I found mostly myself in the pictures."

Her face was smeared with disbelief, surprise and embarrassment as he said this.

"Well.. humph.. that.. it was.. that wasn't even taken on purpose," she defended, staggering for words.

"Right. That's okay. No need to get troubled for words. I'm used to having girls taking my picture," he joked in full vanity.

She was taken a back at his words. He was so full of himself that moment.

"Yeah I know," she said giving up. "That's why a lot of girls chase and flirt over you," she added looking away, making her tone offended.

"Hey, hey. That was a joke. No need to get upset," he touched her arm. She still didn't face him and didn't say a word for a moment. Of course, girls chase him. And she was one of them who chased him in her dreams. He's lucky he's handsome.

"C'mon. Don't be like that," he persuaded. He was afraid he offended her in some way, because yesterday, he found that she was somehow feeble and easily affected by words. He didn't want to rub her the wrong way. He knows she was shy and extremely low on self-esteem.

And all of a sudden, she laughed at his face. A soft gentle and funny giggle.

"I'm sorry," she apologized between laughs. "But I can't help to laugh at the look in your face."

She was making him look like a big joke, and he fell to his own trick. Kari caught him this time. He was at least glad that he didn't offend her. It just makes him pleased and happy watching her laugh in a carefree spirit.

"What?" she asked when she noticed he was observing her.

"Nothing. I'm just amazed at how pretty you look when you laugh."

With that, she stopped her giggles and frowned. "You're doing it again."

"I'm not doing anything," he started to crack.

They were both trying to stop laughing when Zoe came back.

"What's wrong with you two?" she asked.

"Kari's going crazy," he stated.

"Look who's talking," Kari shot back, but TK ignored her. "Whatever. Stop ignoring me."

He was playing with her when Kouji arrived and came towards their table. The waitress too came with their food.

"What are you going to have man?" Tk asked.

"No, don't mind me. I'm done eating," he said taking a seat beside him across Zoe. He greeted Kari and turned to Tk, looking at him for a while, then to Zoe.

The thought came up again to the blonde's head regarding what Kouji asked him a while ago in the court. He stared at his food just as they were to start eating. Remembering how hungry he was then didn't matter when he was with her. She seemed to make him forget some things. She somehow distracts him.

They all enjoyed their meal, with the exemption of Kouji who has already eaten, while they conversed about different topics. They talked about the varsity's upcoming game later that week, Kari's new spot in the school paper, Zoe's attempt on trying out for the cheerleading team and a whole lot of other random things. Tk managed to insert his brother's band performance that night.

"What do you guys say?"

"We won't be having plans anyway," Zoe voiced out regarding the two of them. "So I guess Kouji and I could go."

"I'll tag along," said Kari.

"Nice," Tk smiled.

"If my brother would let me.." she added. He gave her a serious glare- the kind that tells you your life depends on it.

"Of course he will. If he doesn't, I'll let Matt talk it out with him," he smirked.

"Fine. When will I ever learn to threaten you?"

"Undoubtedly… Never. You couldn't even frighten a fly."

"Sure Takaishi. Just because you're all that."

"That's true. Isn't it?" The playful grin appeared again.

TK called for their bill and waited for it to arrive when they finished eating lunch.

"Are you sure you're going to pay the bill?" Kari asked Tk.

"Of course. We can't leave without paying. Don't you know that?"

"Obviously I do. What I mean is, can't we just each pay what we ate? It isn't fair with you."

"Don't worry about that. I'm expecting you to pay next time anyway," he laughed at her.

"Ugh. Seriously Tk. You're getting on my nerves."

"That's good." He flashed to her his dazzling smile. "I like annoying you."

When the bill came, he paid it with exact amount and the group left the restaurant. Kouji and Zoe headed to their own destination, bidding a goodbye to their two companies leaving them to themselves. Kouji watched Takeru from behind his back, looking out for his friend about something he knows that will happen.

"So, where are you planning to go?" he asked.

"Nowhere. I don't know. You?"

"No plans either." They walked for a while, Tk carrying Kari's two shopping bags, thinking of a place they could go or something they could do.

When they were near the exit door of the mall, Tk wasn't aware that someone was coming towards him until he heard that person call his name.

"TK!" a girlish voice came from a brunette who was hugely smiling at him. She came near him and took his arm in a cheery and flirty way. "Hey. This is a surprise. I wasn't expecting to see you." She clung to his arm and pressed her body to his side.

Tk merely shut his eyes, not responding to any of her gestures.

"We rarely have time to catch up with each other. I miss you already," she said looking up to him, touching his jaws. She was completely unaware of Kari who was right beside him.

"Uh yeah. Hey, we have to go," he spoke trying to flex his arm from her grasp which he managed to do.

"We?"

"I'm with Kari," he gestured towards her.

"Oh," her face was astonished by seeing the girl Tk is with. Her eyes darkened and stepped away to have a clear view of the two. Her expression became bitter, trying to hide the disgust and hate. "Okay. You're the new student photographer right?"

"Yes."

"I'm Karyl by the way," she arrogantly smiled. "So, I guess I'll see you around," she turned to Tk, touching his arm before she left.

"Whore," Tk muttered to himself when she was out of sight.

"What did you say?" asked Kari.

"Nothing. Let's go."

•-•-•

**(a/n)**

Review please! Oh, and i'm warning you. it might take me a while before i post chapter 6.


	6. Chapter 6

**(a/n) **

**Sorry for the late update. I'm just so sick and tired of school. I had to make a module for Geometry, a comic and this week is exams! *cries* Hopefully, you'll be more than contented with this chapter but sorry if it did not reach you expectation. Review anyway. And a BiG THANK YOU for those who reviewed. **_**edwardlele, Aster Selene, SugarSpiral, StraightedgeShadow, & M M Forever**_**. **

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER o6**

_By_

**©ancercute**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

It was clearly evident to Kari that the girl was in want of Tk. She was all over him the minute she saw the blonde, and didn't even notice her standing next to him. Apparently, nobody does- and she was used to it. She prefers being unnoticed rather than being chased by the limelight.

"Sorry about that," Tk apologized. "The girl's insane." He was mentioning about what had happened to him a while ago.

"Don't worry. It's not a big deal. I thought you were used to that," she replied with a short laugh at the end.

"Hah! I could die just looking at her," he scoffed.

When they were outside the mall, Takeru hailed a cab and both of them got in.

"Where to?" asked the driver.

He told him his house address, and only his address. He didn't bother telling the driver Kari's.

"You're not going to let me go home?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

"No," he smirked. "You're going to stay at my place the whole afternoon before Matt's performance. I'm bored and you're going to accompany me."

She showed a frown, only trying to hide the blush that she knows will cover her cheeks anytime soon at the thought of spending the whole afternoon with him. Isn't she lucky? She gets to spend time with her crush… and he's taking her home. Actually, it was too much.

"Where are your manners? You didn't even ask me if I have important things to do."

"Riiiight. Like you have anything worthy to do," he grinned and she narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not scared of you Kari." He started to laugh a few moments and came back to being serious again.

"Okay, fine. Is it okay with you though? If you hang out at my place?"

She hesitated at first but soon answered. "Sure, fine."

He grinned in triumph. "See Kari, I always win. I get what I want."

The ride to Tk's was short. A few turns here and there and they arrived at his house. He paid the driver and got out, helping Kari on the way and let her in his house. He took her shopping bags and placed them on the table in the living room, ushering Kari to make herself at home.

"So, what are we going to do?" she asked.

"Nothing," he smirked gorgeously and plopped to the couch next to her, their arms touching in closeness. "Wanna watch tv?"

"Sure, go ahead. I don't mind." He turned on the tv and browsed through the channel with the remote on his hand. There was nothing good to watch, but then he stopped at a basketball game.

"Are you going to let me watch basketball?" Kari asked in disbelief.

"You don't want to?" She just stared at him for a while. "Please just let me watch this Kari. It's their championship game! Lakers and Boston!" he pleaded. "I already missed their first game."

She pouted and frowned at him. "Hmph. Fine. You're lucky I'm just nice."

"Thank you! See, that's what I like about you," And then he glued himself to the screen, unaware that Kari was hiding her face with a handkerchief , already blushing. Every once in a while, he would just suddenly get up and shout 'yes!' or smile from ear to ear everytime the Lakers scored. "Shoot!"

It made Kari bored. She tried to let the game entertain her but it wasn't working. There was nothing she found interesting into what was playing, and there wasn't anything better to do. And as time flew by, she couldn't help but yawn. Tk doesn't even notice her the whole time the game got hot. At sometime, her eyes became heavy and she tried to fight it… in vain. Without her knowing, she suddenly fell unconsciously asleep. Her head dropped to her side and landed on Tk's shoulders. The blonde was surprised to find Kari sleeping peacefully beside him. She looked so still and quiet and it made Tk look at her for a long moment, missing a three point from the Boston. She seemed so cute, like an angel, especially when her eyeglasses were loose. It fascinated him. He slowly took off her glasses and placed it on the small table before him. When she would shift in her place, he would hold her around her waist and place her on a more comfortable position. He continued to watch the game with Kari sleeping on his shoulders and without realization that his hand was around her waist. He didn't shout or moved a lot anymore when the Lakers scored.

After the game was done, leaving Boston the winner, Tk frowned and browsed for more interesting channels. There was none. So he settled for Mtv and just watched music videos as songs played. But in the stillness and dullness of the room, he too became bored and in no longer, he fell asleep with the tv on. His head rested in top of Kari's.

Both of them stayed like that for most of the afternoon.

•-•-•

Kari's eyes fluttered open. There was a slight haze in her head before she recalled she was in Tk's house. When she remembered she had fallen asleep, she quickly straightened up and noticed that she had been sleeping with her head on Tk's shoulder. A blush crept on her cheeks and shifter comfortably in the couch causing Tk to wake up.

"Sorry about that," she apologized.

"Huh?" Tk blinked, and then realization hit him in a few moments. "Oh right. We both fell asleep. Don't worry bout that."

"My glasses?"

"Oh, here," he handed it to her. "I took it off when you were sleeping."

"Hmm. Are you still planning about watching Matt play?"

"Of course. Why?"

"I'm planning to go back now. I'll catch up with Zoe. We'll hangout later right? With Kouji and Z."

"Yeah, alright. I'll walk you there," he said, standing up and grabbed her paperbags, headeding toward the door. She followed him shortly.

They walked along the sideway to Kari's house which was two blocks away. They were beginning to get closer lately. How great was that for Kari? They just became friends a few days ago and now he was walking her home. They'd constantly joke around; he'd make her blush and they would fight like little kids laughing along their argument. As they continued their way, she carefully took a peek at his face. He was brightly laughing- white teeth out, glowing ocean eyes, and the feeling of happiness washed through her. He might not like her but she was contented on how they were now. Close, carefree and blissful every moment she spends with him.

When she reached her place, he handed over her shopping bags to her. He was standing closely right before her, smiling.

"I'll see you later," he grinned.

"Yeah." And before he could turn and walk away, he playfully pinched her soft cheek. She blushed at his unexpected action and wasn't given a chance to react. He turned away and waved his hand. He was almost four feet away when he looked back and said, "Later pretty girl." Then he was walking back. And that left Kari standing on their front door looking lame and flushed. When she recovered, she went inside and dropped all her paperbags and smiled like an idiot in love. She leaned on the back of the door, sighing out loud and squealed. She picked her bags again, turn & twirled around, hopping and skipping towards her room.

"What's wrong with you sis?" Tai came out his room with a messy hair- probably just woke up. She stopped her dancing and skipping and looked at her brother.

"Oh. Hi Tai. Nothing, everything's great," she smiled and went directly to her room. Tai scratched his head, "What's up with her?"

In her room, Kari plopped up to bed and stared at the ceiling. "He called me pretty..," she thought about what happened earlier and couldn't help but smile and laugh. It was like hundreds of angels were tickling her. She quickly dialed Zoe's home number.

"Hello?" Zoe greeted.

"Z!"

"Oh, hey Kari. What's up?"

"Do you have time? C'mon over. I want a girly time." She said excitedly.

"Hmm. Are you okay? You're overly joyful."

"Yup! I'm great, extremely happy."

"Okaaay. Hold on. I'll be there in ten minutes." Then, she hung up.

A few minutes later, she heard a loud knock on the front door. She came to get it and shouted "Tai! Z's staying for dinner."

"Mmm," replied her older brother.

She opened the door and let Zoe in both smiling hugely like two criminals keeping dirty secrets.

"Spill, girl," demanded Z.

"Cool it. Let's go to my room." They hurriedly went inside Kari's room and turned on the tv, playing the movie "Confessions of a Shopaholic," without even paying attention to the film.

"So what's so important that you interrupted my bonding time with Kouji?" the blonde asked.

"He was at your place?"

"Yeah, he was. So never mind about it. He always is anyway. What's up with you quiet girl? Did Tk suddenly propose to you?"

Kari's eyes knitted. "Of course not. But at least, I got to spend time with him at his place." She smiled.

"You what?!" she bursted out loud. "You were at his house?"

Kari nodded.

"As far as Kouji knows, he never takes girls with him into his place. Hmmm. Kari's becoming a naughty girl," she wickedly winked.

"Am not! He took me there for company. He was bored," she defended.

"Right right right. What would the people tell if this news spreads?" Z playfully talked to herself.

"Z! You're not going to tell this are you? It's not a big deal and we aren't even anything."

"Oh chillax Kari. I'm kidding. You know me, I won't tell a soul. But I have to hand it to you, your social skills are getting near to excellent. Not to mention steaming hot abs." She laughed and Kari joined in.

Both girls spent the time watching half of the movie, chitchatting and getting ready for Matt's concert. After locking themselves in Kari's room, they both went out and ate dinner with Tai, learning that he was also going to Matt's concert with his other high school friends.

"So your other friends are also going with you?" Kari asked.

"Yeah. So I'll be mostly with them through the whole night. I trust you can take care of yourself?" he assured.

"Yup. Don't worry. I'm smart enough," she grinned.

"Great," he scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Zoe, make sure she won't get in trouble. And I'll entrust you with Tk, alright?"

Zoe and Kari looked at each other in absolute silent curiosity and confusion, making Zoe grin mischievously.

"Hmm. Alright."

"And I'll blame Tk if anything happens to you."

"God Tai. Nothing will happen to me. Don't worry. How about you look after yourself too?" she defended in a slightly pissed tone.

"Hey, I'm just making sure. I don't want you coming home pregnant," he spat.

"What th--," she choked at the mention of his words and quickly gulped water. "I'm not a brainless dumb idiot kind of girl. Why would you think like that? God, it's embarrassing. I'm not that person Tai."

"I know. And I don't want you to become like that. So stop whining and finish your food."

Until that, the rest of dinner time became quiet. Kari was pissed. Tai didn't care. Zoe just kept her mouth shut. After it, the girls went to Kari's room with the brunette muttering incoherent and unintelligent words.

"My brother is so stupid," she complained. "Urrgh!"

"Yeah I know. Lucky I don't have any sibling."

They dressed up for the concert, preparing themselves for the night. Kari was wearing a black skirt reaching above the knee, with a green printed long sleeved off shoulder top and matching x-hi converse. At least she looked pretty in her outfit, unlike some geek who doesn't have a clue at the definition of style. Zoe, on the other hand, put on a pair of short denim shorts, plain blue spaghetti strapped and plaid hoodie matched with an ecko red rubber shoes.

It was almost eight in the evening and Kouji dropped to pick up both the girls. Kari waved a bye to her brother and went out with her friends. The concert stadium was a ten minute drive from their block so they hopped on into Kouji's ride.

The cool breeze of the night greeted them as they stepped out of the car, arriving at their destination. The place was packed with people, teenagers raging from fourteen to twenty, wandering and laughing around before the concert starts. Girls dressed almost in revealing outfits, make-up and accessories. Boys in their casual wears. Some already have drinks on their hands.

They went to the entrance and met with Tk who was already waiting for them, clad in his green shirt, denim pants and Adidas footwear. A smile was plastered on his face as he set his eyes on Kari, and when their gaze locked at each other, Kari couldn't help but smile too, blush and quickly look away. She turned to Kouiji and asked. "Tickets?"

"Don't worry. Tk already took care of them," he explained.

"Oh."

They reached the post where Tk was leaning and she was damn well sure that he was studying her from top to bottom. He thought she was simply beautiful. Not fabulous, exotic, daring, or anything of those kind of words because he knows Kari was simple. And yet, he found it difficult not to look at her this time of night. She was cute and beautiful. The quiet innocent type of girl who knows how to pull a man's attention.

She could have gotten red again at his stares, but decided to clear her throat. "Hey, Tk."

He immediately looked at her and greeted. "Hey again. Didn't know you could dress so appealing," he smirked.

God, this was going to be a long night of trying to hide her blushes if he continues complimenting her like this. And she wasn't used at her crush telling her she was beautiful.. But, it won't hurt if she got used to it, right?

"Is that an insult?" she raised her eyebrow.

"Nope. For you, it's never an insult."

Tk put his arm around her shoulder and ushered her inside, leaving Kouji and Zoe on their own. But the four were still of course in the same place, they just had separate worlds. _So it's going to be on pairs._ Kari thought.

As they walked along, looking for a spot to watch Matt's performance in a few minutes, Tk whispered to her ear. "Do you know you're making my job so difficult?"

She knitted her eyebrows in confusion and watched him. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you notice? A lot of guys were staring at you on our way. They were checking you out, especially Diasuke over there," he stated and pointed at the guy.

She followed its direction and surely Kari would be blind if she couldn't see that Daisuke was looking entirely at her way, especially at how Tk's arm wound up around her shoulder. Definitely, there was pure jealousy in his eyes. And as she examined around, she did see some other guys looking back at her. So she dropped her head.

"No, I didn't notice." She paused before adding. "So you want me to go away?" she challenged.

"Off course not. It's just that if anything happens to you, Tai would kill me."

"Well, I'm sorry if you end up baby-sitting me," she grumpily said crossed her arms in her chest.

He laughed at her expression. "You're cute when you're angry. I should intimidate you more often. But no, I don't mind looking after you… baby." He again laughed.

But Kari looked away as she registered in her mind another meaning of the term.

"You should thank me though," she began as she noticed some girls looking at the blonde beside her and giving her deathly glares. "At least I'm keeping you away from those mobs of girls who could have been attacking you if I weren't here."

"Yeah, you're right. At least you've got some use," he joked.

"So you think that's what I'm used for?" she questioned in an anger she's trying to hold back.

_Am I just some chick you placed beside you,  
To take somebody's place?  
When you turn around can you recognize my face?_

"Hey, hey. I'm just joking. You're better than them anyway, alright?" he lightly pinched her nose. "Don't be mad. They'll get jealous of us," he smirked.

_Of us?_ Kari thought. _Man, he's making me delusional._

"Whatever." She sighed.

After a few moments, Matt and his band appeared on stage. Cheers, shouts and howls could be heard all over the place. As their songs began, teenagers started to jump, sing along and scream. The crowd was getting hot and heavier every minute that passed. Throughout the concert, Tk never left Kari. He kept his other arm around her waist, just so he could know if she'd gone. Kouji, Zoe and Tk were already drinking.

Suddenly, Kari felt Tk's arm slip from her waist.

"I'll just go get something," he shouted aloud so she could hear him from the blaring music. "Stay her with Z and Kouji." She nodded.

He pat Kouji's shoulder and entrusted Kari with him while he was out to get something, and he disappeared in the throng of people. She sang with Z the moment Tk was out.

A little while later, she saw Tk coming back with two cans of alcohol in his hands. But Karyl was on his way, the girl they saw in the mall and the same one who defeated Kari in the school paper's feature editor spot. Obviously, she saw her holding Tk back, trying to make a little chitchat with him, smiling flirtatiously, trying to be seductive, only it looked like she was a desperate whore in doing so. She was curling her lips, touching Tk's arm, clinging herself to him. But it was clear that Tk was trying to get her out of his way. His expression was pissed and annoyed. Successfully, he managed to get away from the ho-ish wrath of the brunette, leaving her frowning in anger.

He returned back to Kari with a smile and handed her one can of beer. She politely refused while he raised his eyebrow.

"I don't drink, Tk."

"Haha. Right. C'mon, take it. Don't tell me you haven't drunk before."

"Well, I have, once. But seriously, no thanks."

"Hey c'mon. It won't hurt. I promised to take care of you. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you. And it's only a can. I'm not going to let yourself get drunk if I value my life," he smirked.

"I trust you, you know," she replied back taking the can from him.

"That's why you'll trust me if I say I'm going to take care of you."

They continued having fun and singing along as the concert went by. And as Matt announced the last song they'll be singing, the crowd cheered. Unaware to Tk, a guy with dark hair and black eyes came up to Kari. They guy was tall, almost as tall as Tk. He was well built, tan, somehow handsome and had sex appeal.

"Hey gorgeous," he greeted Kari.

"Hi," she smiled politely.

"Can I offer you a drink?" he handed him another can of beer.

"No thanks," she refused.

"Oh c'mon. You're too pretty to not drink. Just take it," he persuaded.

"Really, no thanks."

"Sure? I don't mind. I'm Ryo by the way," he extended his other hand attempting to be courteous.

"I'm Kari."

"Yeah, I know. My friend knows you. Here, take it," he forced to her hands the can.

"Uhm. No, really. No thanks," she was already tired of refusing the guy's offer when Tk noticed them.

"Who's this?" he asked the brunette.

"He's Ryo. And he's been offering me a drink."

"Hey, dude. Don't force her if she doesn't want to," Tk said to the guy. Surely, he knew that he was a junior since he sees him hanging out with some of the junior members of their varsity. But he didn't care if he was older than him anyway.

"Why? Are you his boyfriend?" he challenged the blonde.

"What's it to you?" Tk shot back.

"C'mon dude. I'm trying to be friendly."

"You don't force someone if you're trying to be friendly."

"Shut up blondie. Hey, Kari," he turned to her, putting his arm around her waist. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"Uh, no," she shifted at the touch of his arm on her waist. Why did it feel so nasty, yet totally different if it was Tk's arms?

"See. She's not yours," smirked Ryo.

"Does that mean she's yours? Get your goddamned arms off her," Tk pushed him.

And that pissed Ryo off. Both of them started throwing back unintelligent words and kept pushing each other. They didn't notice that the last song ended and some people actually saw them pushing each other. Kouji took notice of this and held back Ryo. Kari grabbed Tk's arms telling him to stop. It wasn't really a big commotion but some teens stopped and turned their attention to them.

Tk and Ryo didn't say a word but turned to walk away from each other's presence.

"Man, what was that?" Kouji asked his friend holding Zoe beside him.

"Nothing. I just tipped my temper," he replied, forcefully holding back his pissed attitude.

"Be careful man. Don't involve yourself to fights. We have our game this week, don't forget."

"Yeah, I know." He looked away and noticed a man leaning by a post, smoking.

Kari followed his gaze and looked back at Tk's serious and annoyed expression.

"Don't tell me you want to smoke," she whispered with concern over him. She knows that smoking helps people relax, and she can see that Tk was stressed and tensed.

"No, I don't. I'm smarter than that," he replied without looking at her.

"Sorry."

"Hey, it's not your fault." He then put his arm around her shoulder and the four walked away towards the exit.

**Meanwhile…**

"Your Tk is an asshole," Ryo stated.

"Hmm. He's just stupid. Can't he see? I'm better than her slut," Karyl replied as she watched the four, particularly Kari and Tk walk out the place together, with his arm on her shoulders.

**©ancercute ©opyright**

•-•-•

**(a/n)  
**

**What do you think? Please do review. And wish me luck for this week's activities in school. CEM, Quiz Bee, projects, Exams… OMG. **


	7. Chapter 7

**(a/n)**

**First of all, thank you very much for those who reviewed.**

**SugarSpiral: I'm really sorry that you don't like Kari having glasses, but that's just the way I planned the story. **

**Disclaimer: I'm sorry but I do not own Digimon or any of its characters. I do own the plot though. And I hope nobody would steal it. **

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER o7**

_By_

**©ancercute**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

The four friends hopped into Kouji's car- Tk in the passenger's seat while the two girls were at the back. It was a silent ride back, only the slow music from the stereo filled the air. Kari shifted on her seat, adjusting her eyeglasses as she thought about the happening a while ago. Hopefully her brother didn't see it because she'd be dead of he did. As she pulled her gaze to the side of Tk's face, she couldn't help but feel guilty of what happened. Still, it was always like her. Always. To blame herself even if she didn't do anything wrong, even if it wasn't her fault. But the fact that she was involved, it made her feel that she was to blame.

"Hey, you alright?" Z whispered to her friend, in a volume loud enough for Tk to hear which made him look back and stare at Kari.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured her blonde friend, unaware of Tk's gaze.

"Are you sure?" he suddenly asked, into Kari's surprise which made her focus turn to the male. She nodded and faked smiled.

Kouji halted to a turn on the left and stopped at the front of Zoe's house. He got out of his seat and waited for Z to go out.

"Bye. Talk to you soon," Z told Kari and opened the door. Kouji walked her to the front door and had their small little couple talks of good night's and 'I love you's'. Before Z could go in, he kissed her forehead, and then went back inside the car.

He started again the engine and sped away to the direction of Kari's house. In a few moments, he stopped by the front gate.

"Thanks," she said and opened her door. Tk met her outside and they walked slowly together to her porch.

"Hey, uhm," Kari started as she placed her eyeglasses on the bridge of her nose. "Sorry for the scene earlier."

He looked at her in astonishment. "Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault."

"I was involved. It makes it my fault.. somehow."

"Listen, don't stress over it. It's nothing. Forget it."

"Still, sorry about it."

"Yeah yeah. Sure, no big deal." They reached her front door and stood there looking at each other. His eyes were cobalt blue, filled with unsaid confused emotions and thoughtfulness. Her eyes tried to dig for answers at the questions she saw at his eyes. Like the pictures she take, she could somehow understand how a person feels or what he thinks with just the simple expressions on their faces.

"Is there something troubling you?" she asked with curiosity and concern.

"No, not really." Just then, the cold breeze blew, swirling her short hazel nut hair around her face. Tk grinned at her and carefully took some strands of her hair and tucked them behind her ear. She blushed at the moment he did this.

"You're making me blush," she tried to joke, attempting not to make the moment awkward and narrowed her eyes to him.

"Aren't I?" he laughed. "Don't worry, I'm always good at this." He then pinched her cheek.

"Jerk," she playfully shot back, only making him laugh again. "What now?"

"I didn't notice. We wore the same color," pointed out. She examined both their tops and they were coincidently color green.

"Hm. Coincidence. You're wearing my favorite color," he spoke.

"You like green?"

"Yeah. It looks good on you. Actually, it looks good on both of us," he smirked.

"You're teasing me again," she pursed her lips.

"I know, right? It's coz you look cute everytime I tease you."

"Whatever Takaishi."

"Haha. C'mon, it's getting late. You better get inside before your brother thinks you got pregnant." This time, her blood intensely rose to her cheeks making it pure crimson.

"What the hell?! Stop saying those things," she argued out loud. "I'm not like that."

"I know, and I was just joking. I know you're not that kind of girl, and that's what I like about you," he smiled, pinching her cheek for the second time. "Cute."

"Haha. Very funny. Go away Tk, Kouji's waiting."

"Oh, right. I forgot." He smiled. "See you Monday. Good night pretty girl." He then turned back and walked down towards the car. He got in, and the vehicle started to drive away. Tk looked back at her front door before she could get out of sight. When the car was no longer there, Kari went inside the house, closing the front door.

Tk was smiling widely at himself at the thought of seeing Kari blush. He finds it so cute and fascinating. Well, maybe he's just so full of himself that moment.

"What's up with you man?" Kouji asked.

"Not much. Hey, can I stay at your place for the night?"

"Yeah sure." With his reply, Tk immediately dialed Matt's cell number.

"Hey big bro," Tk said.

"Mm?"

"Are you awake?"

"Yeah. What do you want? Spill already."

"I'm going to stay at Kouji's for the night."

"Yeah sure. Hey, what happened earlier at the concert?"

"Aw. Not now," Tk groaned. "Talk to you about it tomorrow."

"You better. Good thing Tai didn't see it. If he did, you'd be screaming your lungs for mercy at him right now."

"Yeah I know. Lucky me."

"You know I don't want any fighting in our concert. Especially if it's coming from you. Bro, don't ruin your reputation."

"I'm not. I was pissed. And the guy was forcing Kari to drink. Do you want Tai to kill me if anything happens to her sister?"

"Okay fine. But I don't want any trouble next time."

"Sure, alright." And by that moment, he heard a female's voice on the other line. "Is Mimi there?"

"Yeah, she is."

"Good thing I'm not sleeping there. Ok, bye."

"Bye." Then he hung up.

"Who was with your brother?" Kouji asked.

"His girlfriend." The car halted to a stop to Kouji's garage and both of them stepped out. They went inside his house and directly to Kouji's bedroom.

"Where's your parents?" Tk asked.

"Sleeping, probably." Kouji went first inside the bathroom, cleaning himself from the sweat he was covered in during the whole concert. And after he came out, Tk used it too. When they were in their clean clothes, Tk sat on the other bed opposite to Kouji.

"Man, tell me the truth," Kouji started. "What's up with you and Kari anyway?"

The blonde looked at him for a moment before answering. "We're friends. Close friends."

"Alright. You know you're not usually close with girls, except if you're courting them. Like what happened to that Karyl."

"Dude, that was a mistake. I didn't realize what I was doing, accepting that bet from Takuya. The girl took it seriously."

"You never told her that it was a bet?"

"No."

"Man, you're screwed," he said turning on the aircon and the stereo in low volume. "Your first girlfriend was from a bet. I think that bitch still wants you… bad."

"You're guessing right."

"Good luck," he smirked at his friend. "So, you're not planning on courting Kari, are you?"

It made him think but quickly answered. "No, I'm not." _Not for now I think_, he added mentally.

"So you mean that arm-around-her-shoulder thing was for show?" Kouji questioned. "For Karyl to see? And maybe make her jealous?"

Tk looked down, avoiding his friend's gaze. "I.. I think so."

"Dude, just be careful. Kari's a nice girl. She doesn't deserve to be hurt and it's not right to make her some shield from your ex."

"Man," he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I'm not gonna hurt her. And I don't intend to. I know she's really nice and I'm not making her a shield. I want both of us to be good friends."

"Hmm. Why?"

"I just want to," the blond quietly whispered.

•-•-•

On the other roof at that same night, she plopped herself on bed on her pajamas, stared at the ceiling and smiling like she was a stranger to happiness. Recalling the night's events, having him there beside her, saying her name, it made her giggle in delight.

_I lie awake at night  
See things in black and white  
I got only you inside my mind  
You know you have made me blind_

She couldn't help herself but think about him. About his pretty blue eyes, his unruly dirty blonde hair, his mesmerizing smile. Just thinking of him makes her want to spend every minute with him and laugh in carefree.

_I lie awake and pray  
That you will look my way  
I have all this longing in my heart  
I knew it right from the start_

Her phone suddenly rang and she looked at the screen. _1 new message._ She pressed 'read' and surprised to see that it was from Tk. It says _**good night :) pretty girl**__._ She bit her lip trying to not make squealing sounds loud enough for Tai to hear. Sure he doesn't know, but she smiles everytime she sees his name in her inbox. Somewhere in her heart, she felt something stirred. Does it mean that she somehow means something to him? Even a little bit?

_Oh my pretty pretty boy  
I love you  
Like I never ever loved no one before you  
Pretty pretty boy you're mine  
Just tell me you love me too_

_Oh my pretty pretty boy  
I need you  
Oh my pretty pretty boy I do  
Let me inside  
Make me stay  
Right beside you_

Admitting it, she likes him. So much beyond the literal meaning of the word. Really like him. _But is it enough to call it love?_ She thought. _Hmm. Love is a very powerful word and I don't have any clue about how it feels. But I do know one thing, being with Tk makes me happy and I just forget everything around me when he's by my side._

_I used to write your name  
I'll put it in a frame  
And sometimes I think I hear you call  
Right from my bedroom wall_

She took off her glasses and yawned, feeling the exhaust the night had given her. Without realizing, her eyelids slowly pressed together, shutting her eyes and sending her into a peaceful sleep. She fell asleep clutching her phone with Tk's message still on the screen.

_You stay a little while  
And touch me with your smile  
And what can I say to make you mine  
To reach out for you in time_

_

* * *

_The next day, the guys were playing basketball in the school gym early nine o'clock in the morning. Later that week was their competition with other schools in the district and for maintaining their spot last year as the champion basketball team of the city, they were practicing hard. They were determined to still be the best players in Tokyo.

All of the varsity players were in the gym warming up. They were having their exercise, doing stretches and curl ups.

"Hey Tk," Takuya said next to him. "What's with the stunt last night?"

"Ugh. What is it with you and last night's scene?"

"Why the sudden attempt to start off a fight?"

"Nothing. I just got pissed. No big deal."

"Right. It's a no big deal when it got to a fight leaving you with black eyes and bruises with no MVP in our competition."

"Hey. Don't worry. I'm in shape."

"You should. Don't forget, game's next week."

"Yeah yeah," Tk said in nonchalance.

The players continued on with their practice until almost ten minutes before 12 noon. They were sweating like pigs all throughout their play. Tk sat on the bench wiping the sweat from his body, and took off his shirt. After drinking his bottle of water, he checked his phone for messages and he found seven. Most of them were from his classmates, his brother but one caught his attention. A message from Kari. He deleted all the other messages without fully reading them and selected Kari's. It read: _Hey Tk. Good morning. :) _

The message was short but it made him smile. He knows she just didn't send a short 'good morning' and send it to everybody, but she actually put his name and sent it to him. Only him. He wasn't the type of guy who liked reading group messages meant for everybody and sometimes, you don't even get to be mentioned. He likes it just for him. The personal type of message that's only meant for you. Just so you know that you are remembered. That the person actually thinks of you.

Without hesitation, he dialed her number and put his phone in his ear. The ringing started and Kari answered.

_Hello?_

"Hey pretty girl," Tk greeted.

_Haha. Right. What's up?_

"Not much. Just finished practicing. Where are you?"

_I'm here at the student building._

"Here at school?"

_Yeah. Why?_

"Nothing. What are you doing there?"

_Uhm. Fixing my stuff. You know, the student photographer's desk and all those. _

"Oh, right. So I guess you're busy. I'll call you la--"

_No, no. It's okay. I'm already finished anyway. I'm almost heading out._

"Great. So can you stop by the gym before you go?" he asked, smiling with his hopes high.

_Uhm. Sure, I guess. No problem._

"Thanks. See you soon. Bye." He then pressed "end call" and stared at his phone like an idiot.

"Dude, you gotta stop smiling like a dumb psycho. Who was that?" his friend Ken joked, noticing how Tk was looking.

"Oh, hey. It was Kari," he explained.

Then, the three guys – Kouji, Ken, and Takuya – who were all near the blonde said aaaawww's and laughed at him.

"Really cute Tk," joked Takuya.

"Man, I just have to agree with him. Cute, very cute," Ken added.

"C'mon guys. What's wrong with that?" Tk argued.

"Nothing," the three chorused and continued giggling.

"Then shut up." And exactly that moment, the gym doors opened and revealed Kari, wearing her knee-length capris with a light blue Abercrombie sleeveless shirt and Ecko Red sneakers. She had a sling bag across her shoulders. Fixing her unruly hair- caused by the wind outside, she looked for Tk.

Ken, Takuya and Kouji looked at her and quietly whistled.

"Damn Tk. Do you fish for girls or what?" joked Takuya.

"Shut up guys." He went to her, leaving behind his mocking friends.

As Kari saw him walk towards her direction, she couldn't be more surprised finding him shirtless – again- and his six packed abs were attention dragging. She was just amazed and could almost drop her jaw at the sight of him. The sight of hotness and sexiness. His stomach was tanned and really impressive. She gave all of her effort to look away from that asset of his and force herself to look at his face.

"Hey Kari," he came to her and stopped just a few centimeters away.

"Hey too," she replied. She felt uneasy and uncomfortable being near him, shirtless, exposed, oozing hotness from his pores. She tried to look at the other players, but there was a point when she actually looked at his bare chest.

"Sexy huh?" Tk said rubbing his stomach and abs.

"Haha. Sure. I'll just agree for your benefit." She heaved a loud sigh. "Don't you know it's really awkward for me talking to you half naked? Go put a shirt on!"

He just laughed at her, amused by her expressions.

"What?"

"C'mon, don't get all awkward at me. You should get used to seeing me shirtless."

"Why would I?" she raised her eyebrow.

"So you won't get awkward if you do so. And I want you to see me like this. Coz you blush, and it makes you cute," he teased, grinning from ear to ear.

"Did you make me come here to just tease me?"

"No, not really. I just wanted to see you." He smiled.

"Okaaayy," she narrowed her eyes at him, speculating.

"Are you busy this afternoon?"

"Hm. Let me think," she thought for a while before answering him. "I don't think so. No, I'm not. Why?"

"I just wanted some company. I'll be bored all day. Mind if I steal some of your time?"

"Hmm. I don't have anything better to do. Alright, I guess you can."

"Nice. Hey, c'mon, let's grab lunch," he led her towards the door, but she didn't follow.

"You're going out half naked?" she mocked.

He turned to her again, scratched his head and smiled goofily like some dumb blonde.

"Oh, yeah, right. I forgot. Hold on," he went back to the bench, put on a white shirt and grabbed all his stuff. "See you later dudes," he waved to his friends.

"What kind of person forgets wearing a shirt before going out?" Kari partly insulted him.

"Hey. Basketball players don't mind being out shirtless. They're used to it. And at least we have our drool-worthy abs to brag," he smirked, opening the gym doors for both of them.

"Tk, you have too much ego. Someday, I plan on stepping on it," Kari jokingly shot back as they began walking towards the schoolgates.

"Haha. You can't even step on a cockroach," he laughed at her.

She instantly felt her cheeks get pink, and hmph-ed at him. "So what if I can't? Your ego is probably more disgusting than a cockroach anyway."

"Ouch. I didn't know shy girls can be insulting."

"Surprising right? It's called talent," she bragged.

They started walking alongside the road all the way to Tk's place. He kept on her left side, just between the street and Kari. He was carrying his sports bag on the left shoulder and a ball on his hand.

"Sure you don't mind walking?" he asked.

"Of course not. Do you think I'm disabled?"

"Haha. Just checking."

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at Tk's house. It was empty, as usual. His brother could have been out somewhere with his bandmates or Mimi. His parents were still away with business matters. That left him alone for the moment. He let Kari in, dropped his bag and ball on the desk, and went to the kitchen checking the fridge.

"Oops, I think we ran out of food. Can you wait for a while Kari? I'll order pizza."

"Huh. You steal away my time and let me starve?" she put on a pissed expression. Her eyes were angry through the lens of her glasses.

"Uh, well," he scratched his head looking a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I—"

She then burst into a huge laugh. "Haha. Don't worry, it's alright. I don't mind. I'm not really that hungry yet." She giggled some more.

"Hmph. You caught me with that one."

"Would you believe? I'm an actress," she had a smug expression on her face.

"I never saw you like this. What's happened with you?" he was amused by her expressions.

"Nothing really. I just love to laugh. Oh, wait. No, maybe your ego is contagious." She fixed her eyeglasses that were slowly coming off because of her laughter.

He moved closer to her with a smile. He was taller that he was able to tower over her. She only reached only up to his chest, making her lift her head just to see him.

"You're so small," he smirked down at her. "Dwarf."

"Hmph. Well, at least I'm cute." She stuck her tongue out like a playful child.

"Hmm. Well, you're maybe right about that one." He looked at the clock and decided to take a bath first after the morning's basketball training. "Hey, I'm just going to take a short bath first. Make yourself at home."

He walked away from her and took off his shirt, heading towards his room.

"Sure, go ahead. We don't want our MVP to stink. Maybe that's why you always win. No one dares to come close to you when you have the ball," she started to laugh again.

"Hey!" he threw his shirt to her and it landed on top of her head, covering her face. "I'm going to get even after I take a bath."

"Just make sure you don't smell," she chuckled as she heard the bathroom door close. She took his shirt from her head, and mentally admitted that it actually smell good. The scent of men perfume. So strong and fragrant. She blushed, and put aside the clothing, settling on the couch and turned on the tv.

The program running was on basketball channel, so she changed it to Mtv. But she didn't like the current song that was playing. Curiosity got to her and she channeled back to the basketball game. She watched as the unfamiliar players play the game. As it went along, she watched until she could figure out what was so interesting and exciting about the game. But she didn't find any answer.

A while later, she felt something pinch both sides of her waist and she yelled in surprise.

Tk laughed behind her. He was in his blue jersey shorts and plain white shirt, fresh after his bath.

"Don't scare me like that," she snapped.

"Cute," he smirked and his gaze fell on the television. "Ow. What's with you and basketball? Am I really that influential?"

"No, just contagious. I'm trying to figure out what's so exciting about it."

"Any luck?"

"Nope. I don't understand anything."

"Too bad for you. You're a loser," he grinned.

She knitted her eyebrows and stood up in front of him. She pushed him with a lot of effort, only making him take a step back. His chest was so hard and muscled that her push didn't affect him too much. But the closeness between them made her smell the fragrant scent coming off his skin. He really smelled good, and his wet golden hair made him look even more handsome.

"Aww. She's pissed," he teased her again.

"Whatever. Hey, who's that black guy? The one in Lakers number 24?" she pointed at the tv screen.

"That's Kobe Bryant. Why?"

"He looks like you. Or probably, you're worse." She cracked a laugh at Tk.

"Hey. He's black, I'm not. And maybe he's not that handsome but he's NBA's current top shooting guard."

"So?"

"So it means he's the team's best shooter."

"Yeah yeah. Like I care. You just get your chance to shoot coz no one dares to come near you. They're afraid they might get fungus from your sweat." She started to insult him.

But then he lunged towards her, attacking her with tickles. She fell on the couch, shutting her eyes and laughed a lot. He was tickling her waist as she almost cried out tears.

"Stop it! C'mon, it tickles. Stop that!"

But he didn't.

"I told you I'd get back," he threatened, smiling as he watched her face go red.

"Fine fine! I take it back. Just stop if you don't want me to pee on you," she shouted.

"Try me. And let me see if you're actually going to pee on me," he dared.

She was almost out of breath because of having hysterics. She kept on pushing Tk away from her, and tried to get off the couch. But it was all no use. She locked her hand on his arm, trying to get a hold on it, but he was off course too strong for her.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and it made Tk stop attacking the poor flushed Kari.

"Lucky you're saved by the doorbell," Tk said, walking towards the door. Kari got up and fixed herself.

"Pizza's here," he shouted from the door and went to the kitchen, placing the box on the table.

"That thing better have not poison," Kari spoke through the kitchen doorway.

"You have doubts?" He smirked. "Then don't eat."

"And let me starve?" She asked. "Such a gentleman."

"Whatever Kari," he smiled. "Sit down and eat already, loser."

"Stop calling me that. You're the loser anyway."

"Wanna bet?"

"I don't think so," she sat on the chair and got a slice of pizza.

"Why? Afraid of losing?" he snorted.

"I'm not afraid of you blondie," she grinned.

"Just a challenge then. Let's play a race game on Xbox 360. The winner gets a favor." He smiled.

"Hmm. Fair enough. Deal."

**ancercute ****©opyright**

•-•-•

**(a/n) **

**Waaah. Thinking of basketball reminds me of Tyrone. He's going to migrate. I'm really going to miss him. There's no one in our class to talk about basketball stuff and all those nonsense we know nothing of about basketball players. Yeah, it's because of him that I knew some NBA players. Special thanks to him. **aww****

**And of course, this fic is dedicated to edwardlele. Bayaw! Nagupdate na ako!**

**Thank you for reading and I hope you would review.**

**Songs in this chapter: Pretty Boy by M2M.**


	8. Chapter 8

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER o8**

_By_

**©ancercute**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

Tk and Kari sat down, Indian style with their eyes glued in front of the tv screen, holding their own wireless controller. They were playing PocketBike Racer and had a bet on who would win the race, having it best of three. Tk won the first round but Kari stole it on the second round. Now, they were having the deciding game and both their hands were already sweating, quickly pressing different buttons all the same time.

Kari was on the lead, but Tk followed soon. He outrun her by then and left Kari a few kilometers behind. In the middle of the race, both of them were racing side by side on the same track. It made their competition more exciting and suspenseful. They were already close to the finishing line and then…

"Oh god!" Tk suddenly exclaimed and got up throwing his controller away and speeding off to the bathroom.

Kari looked back at him in surprise but continued the race. She crossed the finishing line. "Yes! I won!" she threw her hands up in the air and laughed at herself. Then, Tk appeared behind her.

"That's unfair. I want a rematch."

"Nobody said there's gonna be one. Rules first before the game," she smiled. "It's not my fault you couldn't control your bladder."

"It was an emergency. But fine. You get your favor."

"Hmm," she pondered for a while. "I can't think of anything right now."

"I'll give you three days, which makes it until Wednesday to think of it. And only one," he grinned.

"Alright."

•-•-•

It was Tuesday that week and Kari and Zoe were having Gym before lunch. They moved from volleyball to girls basketball. Coach had them warming up first and made them fall in line, each having the chance to shoot the ball in the basket.

As always, Kari was having a hard time. They had two chances to shoot the ball in their every turn. She already had three turns, yet didn't even shoot a hoop. It was making her frustrated on thinking she might fail gym class.

"Kari. You need to work on your performance. You're an honor student and it won't do good if you fail my class," coach told her.

"Yes coach. I'll do my best," she replied.

After their coach blew her whistle signaling the end of their period, she told them to change clothes and announced that on Friday, they're going to have a graded performance. She eyed Kari once more to remind her on that and she nodded back at their coach.

At lunch, Kari was all about complaining and whining to Zoe on how she was going to pass gym class. It would be a miracle if she ever got excellent on that subject knowing that she sucked at sports. Even just standing on the middle of the court or field, she would feel embarrassed and insecure because she always knew that it was absolutely not her thing. Balls were not her friends and never was she coordinated with sports.

"Z," she complained. "How am I going to pass that subject? I swear, it is a pain in my butt."

"You'll just have to keep practicing on shooting. I'm not good at it too Kari but I'm lucky I get to shoot them."

Kari kept on playing with her unfinished food thinking on ways on how to get her performance in shape. She can't afford to flunk in a single subject.

"How do you do it then? How do shoot the ball?"

Zoe heaved a sigh. "I just look straight at the ring and throw the ball. Most of the time it doesn't go in, but I think I shoot a couple of points that'll pass me up in the subject." She smiled.

Kari groaned for the hundredth time. And just that moment, while she stared at the cafeteria doors, she saw Tk, Kouji, Takuya and Ken walk in. She looked at him and he found her looking. He smiled to her and she smiled back. And in that instant, a smile lit up on her face and she knew on that moment that it was guaranteed she'd pass gym class.

"I think I know exactly how I'm going to get a high grade," she smiled at herself.

"How?" her blonde friend asked. Kari motioned her head to the guys falling in line to buy food. Z followed and saw the four friends. Her mouth opened in a small "O" in understanding to what Kari was thinking.

"So I guess problem's solved."

Kari had now less things to think of as she went to her classes in a light mood. She already planned on how she was going to shoot that ball in the ring next Friday. Later that afternoon, after all her classes, Kari went directly to the Student Building to report to the Editor-in-Chief. The staff was having a meeting on the release of the school paper, and their assignments to go along with it. As soon as she reached the building, she went straight to the Staff Room across the Student Council's room. When she entered, some students were already sitting, waiting for the others and the meeting to start. While others were arranging the things on their own tables. Moments after that, when everyone was present, the meeting started. Their Editor in Chief, Mimi, announced that their first release was to be targeted before the end of the first semester. Mostly, the discussion was all about the topics, and what articles each of them would write and put.

"Kari. Your assignment will include photos on the necessary articles, the Student Council, and most importantly a picture on the varsity team that will be feature written by Karyl."

"Okay."

"People, deadline of your articles will be next week, Friday. I hope you pass them on time and make good on your assignments. Alright? That's all for today's meeting."

The sound of dragging chairs filled the room as everybody got up from their seats and went to their respective tables while some went out. Kari was checking her camera in her desk when Karyl came up to her.

"Hi Kari," she greeted nicely.

"Hello," Kari replied. "Karyl right?"

"Mm hm. So, you're going to take pictures of the varsity for my article. I just wanted you to know that I'll be needing a picture of the whole group with their coach, a solo of their team captain and Tk's solo. Is that okay with you?"

"Oh sure. No problem. How do you want the pictures?"

"As sexy as Tk can be," she laughed. "No, I'm just kidding. You're the photographer, you know what to do and those kind of things. Did I mention Tk and I were good friends?"

_Were?_ Kari thought. _I wonder what happened._

Kari noticed how she used past tense but decided not to mention it. "Well, I think you _were_. You greeted him when we were at the mall, and I think I saw you talk to him at the concert."

"Yeah, he's really nice isn't he? Not to mention totally handsome." Karyl was making a goody goody conversation with Kari keeping up the nice façade. "Such a gentleman too."

"I know. He's a great friend," she replied while she finished looking at her camera to check the batteries and everything. She remembered the things he did for her like walking her home, having her at his place, having fun together. She tried really hard not to blush.

"Do you like him?" Karyl asked in an interested tone.

"MMe? Well, I don't know. I.. I don't think so," she stammered, adjusting her eyeglasses on the bridge of her nose. "We're good friends."

"Oh. Alright," Karyl looked away.

"Uhm. I better be going now. See you around," Kari began to pick her sling bag and placed it on her shoulders, putting the camera inside. She decided to begin her assignments tomorrow.

"Okay. Say hi to Tk for me," Karyl waved and smile which Kari returned as she went to the door and walked out. When the brunette was gone, Karyl smiled to herself wickedly. "Stupid," she murmured.

Kari made her way outside the Student Building and decided to go to the Gym.

When she arrived there, she pushed the heavy gym doors forward and she entered in. She was again back to the place where she knew she sucked. The gym was as always, busy with the training and drills of the varsity players. Everyone was in their jersey shooting some last hoops as they were finishing up their practice. The others were already in the locker room having a shower and ready to go home, while some were still sweating off, improving their moves and abs. She stretched her neck in search for Tk around the room, and found him unsuccessfully. He was nowhere in sight.

Kari spotted Takuya in the corner fixing his sports bag and walked over him.

"Hey Takuya," she spoke then he looked up to her.

"Oh. Hey Kari. What's up?"

"Have you seen Tk?"

"I think he's in the shower room. Sit down here and wait for him. I think he'll be done in a few." She sat down on the bench and watched some players move out the gym. She had become used to coming in the gym often while the varsity team practiced and she no longer got shy on being the only girl who usually came. While it was normal for her to watch the other guys play shirtless and flex their muscles, it's always never the same with Tk. She couldn't get into the habit of looking at him directly without her heart hammering in her chest whenever she sees his mucled abdomen. Everytime she'd seen him shirtless, she'd usually try to hide a blush or look away. But unfortunately, it's inevitable, and she finds herself being teased by him. It never occurred to her that watching him play, shoot the ball and jog around the court would be normal for her. Instead, he always amazes her. She grew fonder of him just by watching and staring at him move so incredible like he's some NBA star player.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw him come towards her with his sports bag on his shoulders. He was newly bathed in fresh water and masculine scent. His golden blonde hair was wildly out of place from the lack of combing, yet he looked like some powerful modernized Greek god that could send girls fainting at a sight of his handsome sexy grin. He was walking towards Kari and as she watched him watch her, he looked like a supermodel owning the runway making the female population scream by just passing along them. She didn't know why but her heart instantly stammered and she forced herself not to blush so hard like a tomato.

When he reached her, he greeted, "Hi Kari. what made you come here?"

If it wasn't for her grades in Gym class, she wouldn't have been able to speak to him. She had the problem of incoherency toward him that afternoon. Why? Because he just looks so damn gorgeous and completely fine. The smell of masculinity and sexy boyishness radiated through his body. And with that playful smirk on his face, Kari was lucky she inhaled a big amount of oxygen before she could faint at the sight.

"Hey Tk. I came here because I need the favor on our deal."

"Really?" he grinned. "Wonder what it could be." By that time, almost everyone was ready to leave. They all had a shower and their bags were already slung into their shoulders. But before they could exit the gym, their team captain, Ryuk, halted them for a quick announcement.

"Listen up everyone. I don't want any of you tiring and staying up all night to party of whatever. Keep your bodies in shape. The game's this Friday. So you all take enough rest," he ordered. The players all headed to the gym doors and left, leaving only Tk, Kari and Ryuk.

"Hey Tk. Don't fail me alright little dude? You're our best shooting guard. You're girl there is pretty enough to be a distraction."

"Don't worry Ryuk. I'm all up for the competition. And chill, she's my inspiration," he smirked as he tapped Kari's shoulders. She blushed at either the team captain's comment or Tk's teasing, whichever.

"Alright. I'm gonna leave. Turn off the lights after," he said before he turned to the exit and walked out.

"So you were saying?" Tk spun his head, centering all attention to the brunette before him and smiled.

"I want to ask a favor."

"Which is?"

"Help me pass gym class," she pouted. "Teach me how to shoot a ball in the ring."

He cracked a laugh before answering. "You want me to teach you how to shoot a ball?"

"Yup," she confirmed cheerfully, smiling her cutest childish smile up at him.

"Unbelievable. Alright," he sighed and looked away. Then looked at her again with an amused expression. "Stop smiling. It becomes irresistible somehow."

"Yeay! Thanks! So, can we start now?"

"Now?!"

"Uh huh. I want to start early so I could practice if I can't get it right."

"Well, let's go," he motioned her into the court in front of the ring, holding a ball with him on his waist. He threw her the ball and she turned her head away, shutting her eyes close and caught the ball with her hands.

"What? Afraid of the ball?" he asked her with a small laugh.

"I'm afraid of it hitting me," she threw it again to him and he caught it with no problem.

"It's not gonna hit you if you catch it you know," he said back, throwing her the ball which she caught in the same way before- shutting her eyes.

"I'm not well coordinated with sports," she threw it to him.

"Somehow you will," he tossed her the ball, and now, she caught it without closing her eyes. "Good." He came beside her and began teaching her to shoot it.

"Now, feet just a little apart." She obeyed. "Relax. Don't hold the ball too tight. Look at the ring." She did what he told him to do and breathed in. "Then throw the ball." She threw it in the air, then it hit the board but it did not go through the ring.

She pouted at herself.

"C'mon, try again." She did what she has done again and prepared herself to toss the ball. "Try to hit it to the center of the board." She readied herself and sprung, and shoot the ball. Still, it didn't go through.

"Ugh. This sucks," she spoke out aloud. Tk picked up the ball again and threw it to her, which she managed to catch.

"No it doesn't. Keep trying." She put her feet a little apart and looked directly at the ring. She tried again but it still was a failure.

"Oh my god, I'm gonna fail gym class!" she cried out desperately.

"No you're not. I don't let my student fail in anything I teach. I'm a good teacher," he smirked.

"It's not gonna help Tk. No matter how good you are, I still suck," she sat down on the floor, almost giving up. He sat beside her and took a break.

"Hey, you're going to shoot it right. Don't worry. Just keep on trying. You tired already?"

"Well I hope I do. And no, I'm not yet tired." He suddenly got up and looked down at her.

"Then what are you waiting for? C'mon lazy ass. Get up and practice," he teased and took her hands, lifting her up from her sitting position.

"My ass is not lazy. It's actually pretty nice," she grinned as she stood up.

"Really?" he looked back , examined her butt and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey! Stop staring! Pervert."

"You told me it was nice, and I was just checking. But, really, it's not bad," he smirked at her. She blushed really hard and looked away. "Cute. You're blushing." He then laughed out loud.

"Ugh!" She attacked him by playfully punching and slapping his arm. "Stop teasing me."

"I'm not. I'm telling the truth," he said in defense while he covered himself from her attacks. "Hey, stop harassing me. It's embarrassing to admit I was mauled by a girl."

"Yeah whatever. At least it's better than being labeled as gay for fighting back at me," she stopped molesting him and crossed her arms on her chest.

"Fine. You're lucky you got a favor. If you didn't, I wouldn't be agreeing on helping you out. You could have failed your Gym class," he laughed.

She pouted at him, looking all ashamed and disappointed. In her expression, you could actually pity her in her state.

"Well, are you still going to help me or not?" she asked.

"Hmm. Let me think," he tried to play with her. With that childish smirk on his face, he looked like an evil sexy naughty bad boy who was caught doing something his mother didn't want him to do. "It depends."

Frustrated and annoyed, Kari threw her hands up in the air, turned back from him and walked away. Tk was amused at the little girl.

"I'm watching your butt," he teased again, making her stop on her track and whirl around so she could see his entertained expression. Her eyebrows were knitted and she had an angry look on her face.

"Arg! One of these days, I'm really going to be upset with you."

"I'm kidding," he said in defense, but his enjoyment was obvious. "C'mon Kari. I'm just joking. Do you want to pass Gym or not?"

She came closer to him carefully. "You're lucky I need you to pass that subject. If ever you come to me for help, I'm telling you.."

"Sure Kari. I'll remember," he rolled his eyes but still laughed. He threw her the ball.

"Will you please stop teasing me? It's distracting."

"I don't think you're distracted by my jokes. Admit it, I'm hot right?"

"Ooohh," she almost choked hearing him say that aloud. Well in fact, she was really trying- successfully- not to blush. He was really indeed beyond that definition of the word. Since she saw him come out of the locker room, his presence was hypnotic. "Shut up Tk. Your ego is really huge, you know."

"Fine, I'll stop now. Go ahead, try to shoot the ball again." She prepared herself and carefully looked at the board of the ring. She jumped and threw the ball. This time, the ball hit the center of the board and it finally went through the ring. Her eyes went big in surprise, and she jumped in happiness and success.

"Yeay! I got it! I finally shot it through the ring!" she laughed at herself and all Tk could do was watch her and smile. And notice how cute and carefree she looked, fascinated at how she could make him feel so light inside just watching her being cheerful and glad. "What?" she smiled with cheerfulness when she noticed Tk staring at her.

"Nothing," he shook his head and smiled to himself. He looked at his watch and it was already 6:30. "It's getting late Kari. We have to go home."

"Alright. C'mon." Tk took his stuff as well as Kari, and before they could go out, he turned off the lights inside the gym.

"Walking you home begins to feel like a habit I need to do everyday," he smiled at her.

**©ancercute ©opyright**

•-•-•

**(a/n)**

**Thank you for all of your reviews. I appreciate them so much. So, I'll be looking forward to your reviews for this chapter. And btw, it's summer here, so hopefully, I would be able to update sooner. **


	9. Chapter 9

**(a/n)**

**Hey, I'm really sorry for not updating because I had this stupid author's block, and because I have stupidly struck by cupid. Shit. Argh! I can't believe I'm ranting this to you guys, but hell, I just can't keep it all inside anyway. So my crush calls me in two consecutive nights and I can't get my mind off him. You see, we're not close. We don't hang out okay. We just text each other. And I hate feeling this 'thing' that makes me all smiley inside when we text or when he calls, but then, I don't like that feeling when I hope or expect for something because it'll just hurt & disappoint me. He always tells me those nonsense things that make me like him more, but that's the point. I don't know if he's serious or he's joking. And I want to think that he's joking because it'll still be me who gets overly affected if things won't be what I wanted/hoped. God, nothing's more painful than a love unrequited. Wait, did I just call it love? God no!**

**Here's Chapter nine anyway. Hope you like it. I'm kinda down today. I want to party! So I could take my mind off him.**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER o9**

_By_

**©ancercute**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

"You know couz, Tk's gonna hate you more if you mess up with the girl. Why not just go after blondie and leave the girl to me?" Ryo asked his cousin.

"Well if your brain wasn't that dumb, how do you think can I get him back if Kari is always sticking to him like a stupid lizard?" Karyl shot back. Her eyes weren't looking at the guy beside him, but at the sight of the two teens who were walking out of campus. She was facing the back Tk and Kari who had just gone out of the gym a while ago. Her face was hard and cold, eyes flaming with jealousy and infuriation.

"Accept it already. Tk despises you," he laughed at the brunette beside him then she gave him a glare.

"Why? Does Kari even like you?"

"I'll be making my moves. Don't worry. Plus, they're not even together. I don't think it'll be hard to do what you plan on doing. What are you planning anyway?"

She smiled in satisfaction. "You'll see."

Ryo just scoffed at his cousin.

•-•-•

"You and Tk are getting close these past few days, huh?" Z asked one afternoon while they were hanging out in TacoBell, munching their favorite Mexican food. Zoe was digging in her taco while Kari was having her all-time favorite quesadillas.

"Well, lately, I think so. It's just he's really nice. And definitely egoistic."

"Yeah I know right. But K, just be careful alright. I know you like him, but I don't want you to get hurt," Zoe said with concern.

Kari stared at her for a while in thought and then replied. "Don't worry Z. I know how to control this. I'm not expecting anything from him. We're only friends."

"Uh yeah, for now I guess," she whispered quietly.

"But truthfully Z, I'm afraid." She paused and looked down at her plate. "I really like him. Really really like him. But I don't want to be attached. I know I'm not good enough for him."

Poor Kari. She liked him then, she still likes him now. And there are so many possibilities that could happen, considering now that they have gone so tightly close. But she never expected anything from him. Just pure friendship. And she's contented that way. Sometimes, love destroys friendship and often, friendship ends up in love. But she wasn't going that way because she knows it will ruin everything- the friendship they built. Though, she couldn't help it if she feels different things toward him. It's natural, and she wasn't going to let it go. She won't show what she truly feels. There are circumstances in every action. She was only being careful.

_There's nothing in me that could hold him anyway. I'm not even beautiful._ She thought.

"You know Z, I know that he's becoming really close to me.. unlike before. I notice that, and I like it too. But sometimes, I just don't really know. He jokes a lot, and teases me.. and they're all fun. But I'm so unsure and somehow worried that what if there'll come a point when I'm entirely clueless of the truth. What if the closeness goes stronger and my feelings get too attached?" her eyes looked so troubled as she watched her blonde friend. "I.. I don't want that. I'm scared of that. And I was never the one to take risks, you know that."

Zoe watched her with concern in her eyes, unable to think of what to say to comfort Kari. She really had no idea what Tk felt towards Kari or why the sudden intimacy.

"I don't really know what so say Kari. But I'm sure whatever will happen, you'll go through it. I know you. You're responsible, careful and independent. Don't worry. Relax. And just go with the flow," she smiled sincerely.

Kari sighed. "You're right. Maybe I'm worrying too much. Let's just see where this all goes."

After having snacks, they ditched TacoBell and headed out.

"Omg K! I just had a great idea," Zoe suddenly bursted. "Let's head to the mall and do girly stuff. Did you bring your camera?"

"Yeah I did," she looked at her friend in a clueless expression, wondering what she had come up with.

"Good," she smiled. "Because we'll be in the dressing rooms the whole afternoon!" She grabbed her hand and they hailed a cab.

•-•-•

Wiping the beads of sweat on his forehead with a towel, Tk grabbed his phone from his sports bag and checked if there were any messages. It was their last day of training and tomorrow would be a whole day rest for the upcoming game against the Yellow Panthers of Shibuya High School on Friday. The players were all soaked in sweat after a set of practice game in the school gym.

Takuya plopped next to the blonde on the bench, gulping from his bottle of water. "Hoping for the cute brunette to text you, huh?"

Tk turned to look at his friend and smirked, running a hand through his hair. "Actually, I am. Haven't seen her all day."

"So what? You suddenly got interested in her?" Takuya raised an eyebrow.

"Not in that sense moron. She's fun hanging out with."

"Sure Takaishi. Whatever you say."

Kouji joined the two in their conversation as he took a seat, taking deep breaths after jogging around the court. "What's up with you two?"

"Nothing special. Just Tk here is hoping for the brunette girl to text her," Takuya grinned from ear to ear.

"Shut up man."

"Ooh. Blondie's being touchy," he said making fun of him.

Kouji looked up at Tk with a confused expression. "Kari?"

"Yup," Takuya answered for him.

"So, she your girlfriend already?" Ken asked, coming up to his friends.

Tk snapped his head towards him and wrinkled his eyebrows. "What? No. She's not." He took his bottled water and drank from it, calming himself from the jokes of his friends.

"Then what's up with you two?"

"What do you mean what's up with us?"

"You two usually hang out.. and she's in the gym often."

"She isn't here now," he smirked.

"Seriously," Ken's expression changed into a straight face.

"Seriously?" Tk mirrored his question. "Seriously, there's nothing between us and we're just two friends enjoying each other's company."

The three guys looked at Tk for a moment each with their own opinion in their heads. Then Takuya let out a laugh.

"Sure blondie. Whatever. I'm not buying it," he got up and jogged to the court.

"What? You guys believe me right?" Tk asked Kouji and Ken, but much to his dismay, both shrugged their shoulders. Groaning, Tk scratched his head.

"C'mon guys!" Coach blew his whistle. "Warm up, warm up! A hundred push-ups!" Then everyone in the room grumbled and complained. "Stop groaning, this is your last practice. Better shape up."

•-•-•

"I am never wearing this Z!" Kari complained through the dressing room. "It's.. it's not me." She stepped out the door and looked at her blonde friend with a frown. Zoe had managed to let her try the purple and blue spaghetti strapped dress that reached a few inches above her knees.

"Don't be ridiculous K! You look awesome! It really matches those black sneakers you're wearing. Now smile!" Zoe held up Kari's camera and took a picture of the brunette. They've been doing this for the past hour- trying out different dresses and clothes then taking pictures of themselves in the huge dressing rooms with wide mirrors on the walls. It's what they called Zoe's happy place where she drags Kari along, making her to the fullest girly girl she could be.

"Now try this," Z handed her a plaid button up shirt and a short denim skirt.

"What the hell is this?!"

"Just try them on. Please?" Zoe pouted. "It's like a cowgirl look. Now hurry up and I'm gonna take a picture of you," she ushered her back inside the dressing room to change and waited for her to come out.

"So?" Kari stepped out, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh my gosh! You look so cute K! You better smile!" Zoe took another shot and smiled. "Buy it," she ordered.

"Huh? Are you kidding? Why would I buy it?"

"Because you need some new wardrobe. And they're on sale. And you look pretty on them. Plus," she paused. "Tk will think so too."

Blush crept on Kari's cheek at the slight mention of Tk's name. She really wasn't the type of person who'd be flashing clothes to people anyway.

"And you're gonna need something special to wear when we watch their game."

"Why would I need something special? You're talking as if he's my boyfriend already, which is not true."

"I know. But still. You will buy it," Zoe said in a commanding tone. "Right?" she added batting her eyelashes.

"Fine," the brunette mumbled.

"Love you girl!"

"Z, I was never the one in the dressing rooms. This is your job, and mine is to be behind the camera. Not to be taken pictures of," she said closing the door and changing clothes.

"But it'll be fabulous if things change sometimes," Z replied cheerfully.

"I'm not a big fan of change," Kari argued.

"But you will. You're changing your clothes right now," Z laughed. "Now try this one."

•-•-•

Later that night, Kari was in the bathroom putting on fresh clothes after taking a shower. Her shopping bags were beside her bed, since Zoe will surely murder her if she wouldn't buy those pretty clothes she picked out. At least she's got some new outfit, just not the types she was thinking of. But with her blonde friend's taste, she surely won't go look unfashionable.

Then, just as she was to grab her toothbrush, she heard her phone ring its message ringtone. Picking it up, she pressed 'read message'.

_**From Tk, Text Message, 9:47 pm.**_

Hey pretty :D

She was surprised. And happy. A smile plastered on her face when she read his message knowing he thought of her by the end of the day. She felt this tingling feeling inside of her again.

_**From Kari, Text Message, 9:49 pm.**_

Hi freak. Haha. How's your day?

_**From Tk, Text Message, 10:02 pm. **_

Fine fine. Practice was tiring though. Where were you the whole day? I missed u. :D

_**From Kari, Text Message, 10:05 pm.**_

Hahaha. Riiight. I've been hanging out.

_**From Tk, Text Message, 10:07 pm.**_

With who? I'm jealous. Hmph.

_**From Kari, Text Message, 10:10 pm.**_

Whatever freak. Haha. I've been with Zoe. Happy?

_**From Tk, Text Message, 10:12 pm.**_

No. I'm still jealous. You should have come to the gym. I've been thinking of you. :)

_**From Kari, Text Message, 10:15 pm.**_

Sure you were.

_**From Tk, Text Message, 10:17 pm.**_

What? You don't believe me? Ouch, I'm hurt. You don't even miss me. :(

_**From Kari, Text Message, 10:20 pm.**_

Aaww. Haha. Fine, I'll let you have your way. I miss you too. :P

_**From Tk, Text Message, 10:22 pm.**_

That's better. :D But it doesn't look like you mean it. :(

_**From Tk, Text Message, 10:25 pm.**_

What's taking you so long pretty? I'm waiting for your message here. :(

_**From Kari, Text Message, 10:28 pm.**_

Hehe. Sorry, I was brushing my teeth. So, what's up?

_**From Tk, Text Message, 10:31 pm.**_

Oh. Haha. I miss you beautiful. Haha.

_**From Kari, Text Message, 10:34 pm.**_

Huh. I bet you have nothing to do right? That's why you keep making jokes on me. Hmph. :P

_**From Tk, Text Message, 10:36 pm.**_

I'm not joking. Haha. I do miss you. :P

_**From Kari, Text Message, 10:39 pm.**_

Sure, whatever Tk. Shouldn't you be getting a rest? You said practice was tiring.

_**From Tk, Text Message, 10:41 pm.**_

Nah. Don't worry. Unless you are concerned about me.. Aren't you? Hmm. Haha. And it doesn't matter. I feel good when you text me. :D

_**From Kari, Text Message, 10:44 pm.**_

Ugh! You and your humongous ego. Get to sleep Tk.

_**From Tk, Text Message, 10:47 pm.**_

Aw. How sweet. You do care. Hahaha. I'm not sleeping unless you sleep, of course.

_**From Kari, Text Message, 10:50 pm.**_

Fine. I'm going to sleep. It's useless talking to you anyway. Haha. Kidding!

_**From Tk, Text Message, 10:52 pm.**_

Hmph. That's not funny. Huuh. You busted Daisuke, right? Tsk tsk. I hope I have good luck. Haha.

_**From Kari, Text Message, 10:55 pm.**_

What are you talking about? Freak. :P

_**From Tk, Text Message, 10:57 pm.**_

You think I have a chance? Pretty girl? Haha. What if I courted you?

_**From Kari, Text Message, 10:59 pm.**_

Haha. Stop joking Tk. It's not funny.

_**From Tk, Text Message, 11:01 pm.**_

I'm not kidding. What if I did? Do I have a chance? Haha.

_**From Kari, Text Message, 11:03 pm.**_

Whatever blondie. Say something with some sense. Or else I won't reply to you. :P

_**From Tk, Text Message, 11:05 pm.**_

Ha. C'mon. If I ask you? Is it a yes or no? haha.

_**From Kari, Text Message, 11:08 pm.**_

Seriously Tk, you are insane. I don't even know what came up to you to have that idea.

_**From Tk, Text Message, 11:10 pm.**_

Hmm. Silence means yes, Kari. You never answered my question. Haha. So is that a yes? :))

_**From Kari, Text Message, 11:12 pm.**_

Ugh. Keep dreaming. :P

_**From Tk, Text Message, 11:15 pm.**_

I am dreaming. :)) You're in my every dream. And admit it, you like me courting you, don't you? :P haha.

_**From Kari, Text Message, 11:17 pm.**_

Shut up freak. :D I don't have a huge ego, unlike you.

_**From Tk, Text Message, 11:20 pm.**_

Ha! I caught you again. You didn't say no. You probably like the idea! Haha.

_**From Kari, Text Message, 11:23 pm.**_

Sure, have it your way. Whatever you say. It's not even true. :P

_**From Tk, Text Message, 11:25 pm.**_

Think whatever you want Kari. haha. Are you free tomorrow?

_**From Kari, Text Message, 11:27 pm.**_

Yeah, I am. Well, except during classes though. Why?

_**From Tk, Text Message, 11:30 pm.**_

The varsity's taking a rest day. You know, since the game is on Friday. Hang out with me tomorrow after school? I missed you. :P

_**From Kari, Text Message, 11:31 pm.**_

Haha. Alright. No prob.

_**From Tk, Text Message, 11:34 pm.**_

Yes! See, you missed me too. :P

_**From Kari, Text Message, 11:36 pm.**_

Yeah yeah. Happy now? Hey, I got to go. Still have classes tomorrow. Good night.

_**From Tk, Text Message, 11:38 pm.**_

Ok. But where's my sweet dreams and mwah? :( You could afford to be sweet right?

_**From Kari, Text Message, 11:40 pm.**_

Uh, fine. Good night, sweet dreams. And I don't think I'll go for the mwah thing. :D

_**From Tk, Text Message, 11:42 pm.**_

Haha. Good night Kari. I'll be dreaming of you. Mwah!

Curling herself on the right side of her bed, facing the wall, she couldn't help but just smile pathetically in happiness. She felt this weird, mushy ticklish feeling that she couldn't stop smiling. Tomorrow, they'd be spending the rest of the afternoon together, which she was looking forward to. Couldn't blame a girl if she feels different kinds of emotions right?

Tk's face flashed through her head before she managed to close her eyes, and for the last time that night, she read his last message in her inbox. _Mwah!_

**©ancercute**** copyright**

•-•-•

**(a/n)**

**Shit. After reading this whole thing before I post it, I remembered my crush again. Dammit! Oh man, wish me luck with this thing. I'll try to update soon. Sorry if it's taking so long. Cancercute is out. Ciao!**


	10. Chapter 10

**(a/n)**

**Readers! How are you all? Thank you for the lots of reviews. I really appreciate them. So the thing now about my crush… well, I'm trying to forget about him. What do I know anyway? I liked him, but we only communicate through texts. What if he texts other girls like that? Girls like sluts? I'm just gonna be one of them. Eeeww, no way! And well, I don't think he sees me the way I **_**used to**_** see him. It doesn't all matter now, anyway. I'm trying to forget how I feel and it's becoming good. But then, just the other night, he texted me again after five days without communication… and he called. But horray! I didn't react the way I used to. Sure I smiled. But the drumming in my heart wasn't there anymore. So, yeah, that's it. I probably deserve a better man. Lol. Like Tk Takaishi! Haha. Enjoy my Chapter 10!**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER 1o**

_By_

**©ancercute**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

She stirred her dark berry Seattle's Best frappuccino with a straw that was set before her on the table. Taking a sip of her frappe, she looked at Tk's grimacing expression as he watched her, and she was amused with the look on his face.

"Remind me again why we're here?" he asked raising an eyebrow, leaning back to his seat, facing her.

"Because you asked me where I'd like to go," she replied putting back down her drink and smiled. "And I happen to like coffee."

He scoffed. "Coffee sucks. I hate it. It tastes bitter."

"No it doesn't," she laughed. "You wanna try?" She held it out towards him.

"No thanks," he grinned. "I don't do drugs. I'm caffeine-free. You, on the other hand, are a drug addict. Maybe I shouldn't hang out with you." He laughed.

"Fine," she pushed back her chair and stood up.

"Hey, I was just joking."

"Haha. Kidding," she laughed and settled down again.

"You know, you're jokes aren't funny," the blonde stated.

"Whatever Tk. Are you sure you're not going to order anything?"

"I'm sure. And it doesn't matter anyway. You'll watch the game this tomorro, right?"

"The interschool competition? It's tomorro already?"

He nodded.

"What if I say no?" she challenged.

"I'll drag you to the gym myself."

"Hah. Right. Of course I'll watch. I won't miss the chance of laughing in your face when you miss a shot."

"Oops! That's where you're wrong. You see pretty Kari, I never miss a shot," he said so smugly. "I can guarantee you that. You wanna bet?"

"Oh really Mr. oh-so-great MVP? What's the deal?"

"If I miss a single shot throughout the whole game, you can do whatever you want with me. And If I don't miss," he grinned, smiling like an evil villain. "We're going on a date."

She felt her blood rise, but struggled to compose herself and refrain from blushing, which she did successfully. A date with Tk. Whether she'd win or lose, the consequences weren't bad. In fact, she'd benefit from both.

"Alright, That's a deal then," she agreed.

"You better come to the game, or else," he threatened.

"Or else what?" she dared.

"Or else I'm not going to talk to you and I'll pretend to not know you anymore."

"You're being childish Tk," Kari scoffed. "And besides, I don't think that's gonna happen. I'm irresistible." She laughed.

"Hah! Where did you get all these arrogance from?" he asked in amusement.

"Truthfully, I got it from you."

"Hmm. Thanks. I didn't know I was influential. I really do have a great effect on people. Oh wait, scratch that. A great effect on girls rather." He smirked, and Kari chocked on the last sip of coffee. She coughed and cleared her throat.

"Egoistic freak," she commented.

Laughing out loud, he rose from his seat. "C'mon, you're done. Let's get outta here."

"Chillax blondie. Don't rush. You're getting old."

"Ha!"

•-•-•

The clock read 6:52, and in just a few moments, the game would officially begin. The players were in their designated locker rooms, getting ready for the game.

"Alright boys," the coach spoke, gathering the players' attention to him. "If you want to win this season, you are going to do what I told you to do out there. Play like you've never played before. And make sure you all work as a team. And there's no I in team. So if one of you is thinking of getting all the glory, well you better not play. Because if we win, we win as a team. And I don't tolerate losing. You've one last year's season and I know you can win this one."

"Coach's right," added their Team Captain, Ryuk. "Let's go kick some losers' ass. Falcons on three." All the players huddled close to each other forming a circle and extending their right arms in the center, on top of each other's.

"1, 2, 3, FALCONS!" they all shouted in unison and jogged through the doors, entering the bright spacious court. Hundreds of people, sitting on the bleachers waiting for their game to start were cheering when they entered.

The players sat on their designated bench as Tk looked through the crowd for Kari. He couldn't easily spot her through the crowd. But when he found her with Zoe smiling at him, he smiled back and felt that somehow, his heart lifted a little.

After a short while, the announcer stated the start of the game and the referee blew his whistle. Five players, including Tk, went to the court and another five from the other team, the Panthers. Ruji, the Falcon's tallest player and the other team's tallest placed themselves on the center with the referee holding the ball. He tossed it up in the air, and the Falcons got the ball. Ruji passed the ball to Tk and the blonde dribbled it to their side of the court. He passed swiftly from those players who blocked his way, positioned himself on the 3-point line and shot.

"Three points by Takaishi, #11. Falcons having the first shot," the announcer said in the microphone.

The game went through smoothly, people cheering for both teams. The Falcons were in lead by five, and at the end of the 1st quarter, the score was 11 – 16, with Tk making half of it.

"Where are you headed after the game K?" Zoe asked, eating her popcorn.

"Hmm. I don't know Z. Tk made us a bet about the game."

"Really?" she turned her attention to the brunette. "What?"

"Well, he said that if he goes through the game without missing a shot, he'd take me out. And if he misses, I can do whatever I want with him."

"Oooh. A date," she teased, going all smiley faced at Kari. "Is this going somewhere K?"

Kari laughed. "I don't really know. Definitely clueless."

Zoe sighed. "I guess we'll see."

Second quarter started and a batch of new players went in. The game continued but the Panthers were chasing the Falcons' score. Their score reached to a tie. Tk was excluded in both the 2nd and 3rd quarter, making it somehow easier for the other team to steal the ball. The game got intense, unpredictable as the 3rd quarter ended in a tie of 34.

"Tk, you're up in the last quarter. Kouji, Takuya, Ken and Ryuk, go to position D and trap their guard. Make sure Tk gets the ball at the last eight seconds," Couch explained to them.

"Sure coach," Ryuk said. "C'mon team, on three. 1, 2, 3.."

"Falcons!" they all shouted and the referee blew his whistle, signaling the end of time out.

Fourth quarter was in heat. There was huge tension in the gym as the players raced to lift their scores. There was determination in Tk's face and everytime he'd dribble the ball, he looks more and more like a pro. A hot pro for that matter. It was evident how he works out a lot with his muscled arm. It wasn't bulky but just right to make him more breath-taking.

Kouji threw the ball to Tk, and just when he caught it, an opponent bumped him forcefully on his shoulders and he was taken aback. Luckily he was able to prevent himself from falling on his back. The referee blew his whistle. "Foul!"

The players positioned themselves on Tk's free throw. It was a perfect shot, ringless. Score, 41 – 43, in favor of Falcons.

The game continued on until the last thirty seconds. The Panthers was able to reach their score and end up in a tie. Both teams weren't able to score a point and fifteen seconds remained on the clock. Panthers got the ball and a player dribbled it towards their court. Kouji was able to steal the ball, passed it to Ryuk and then to Tk. Last eight seconds remaining and they got to position D. Tk was faced off with only one opponent against their hoop.

"Face it Takaishi. You won't make it in five seconds," he taunted the blonde and tried to steal the ball.

"Neither can you," Tk shot back and faked to his right, passed his opponent and charged to the hoop. He shot the ball and it went through, the same time the sound of the whistle was heard. And a roar from the crowd exploded.

"Winner. Odaiba Falcons! With a score of 48-51."

•-•-•

All the people cleared out of the gym. The crowd, fans, announcers, everyone exited the place after the successful victory of the Odaiba Falcons, leaving the place scattered with colorful confetti and Kari sitting on the bleachers.. waiting. The auditorium was quiet now, unlike moments ago when the roar of the crowd filled the whole room, making the players feel exhilarated and triumphant. She remembered how he looked like through the massive crowd of basketball players and cheerleaders. The smile on his face that pictured a moment of bliss. The instant when their eyes met through the huge commotion on the court. It was perfect. They both were smiling at each other, and it felt.. good.

You know that feeling when you achieved something and she was right there with you? Right there when things get so awfully wonderful. He felt supported, like someone believes in him more than he believes in himself.

"You didn't forget," his voice came through from behind her, breaking the silence that was left moments ago inside the gym. She turned back and saw him, all fresh and clean in a green polo shirt and cargo shorts after the game. He was wearing this excited smile on his face which made him glow, making her smile back at him.

"Congratulations!" she cheerfully rose from her seat.

"I didn't miss a shot did I?" he smirked.

"Fine. You didn't," she crossed her arms on her chest.

"Can I get a hug?" he smiled. Kari looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "C'mon."

"Alright, fine," she replied in an accusing tone and stepped closer to him. He held his arms out to her petite waist and held her in his chest in a tight yet comfortable hug. The closeness of their bodies brought heat to each other as he held her close to him and she let him do so. It was so nice. She felt so protected, cared for, special and.. safe. She buried her face into his chest and felt the heat rise to her cheeks. His hold of her was more than she could ever imagine.

"You're so small," he said as he rested his chin on her head, not letting go of her yet.

"You're making me feel like a dwarf," she complained.

"That's nice. Like Dopey in Snow White. Really cute," he smirked in a teasing manner. With that, she pulled away and looked at him in an angry pouting face. "I wasn't done hugging you yet," he protested, taking her hand, holding it with his.

"What's with the foul a while ago? Is your arm ok?" she looked at his left arm.

"Nah, it's alright. Happens all the time."

"Am I interrupting something?" a guy's voice came out from their side.

"Uh, yes you were Takuya," mocked Tk.

"Hah. Don't listen to that jerk," Kari disagreed.

"Yeah yeah, but whatever you were doing, just excuse me. Kouji's having a party at his place. Wanna come?" he looked at Tk.

"I'll pass man. I had some plans beforehand."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Tk reassured and Takuya left both of them.

"You can go with them you know," Kari said. "Celebrate."

"Nah. I want to celebrate with you," he said back, realizing he was still holding her hand which she didn't notice, and let go of it. "Besides, I wanted a date," he put his arms around her shoulders.

"Whatever Tk." They both exited the gym and went outside under the dark starless night.

They walked along the pavement of the sidewalk, talking and joking about random things they see. While walking, Kari spotted a necklace displayed on the window of a jewelry shop.

"Hold on," she stopped and looked at the necklace. It had a silver chain and the pendant was so beautiful. It was two hearts linked together, one smaller than the other and there were diamonds embedded on one side of the bigger heart. "It's so beautiful." She was mesmerized, but her smile soon faded when she saw the price.

"Fabulous! This thing is so expensive," she sighed. "C'mon, let's go."

"Too bad," Tk commented as they continued walking. Suddenly, Kari felt like something dropped on her arm from the sky.

"Oh god. Don't tell me it's gonna rain," Kari looked up at the starless sky and shut her eye, feeling a drop of water on her nose. "Please don't let it rain."

Just as she said those words, it started drizzling- a light noiseless downpour of water. It showered over them as they quickly, yet carefully crossed the street to shelter near a fancy expensive restaurant. They both looked at the road in front of them where it was wet with countless of puddles and fallen leaves were present on the ground. Then, it became heavier. The cloud burst heavy rainfall and people started clearing out of the open and looking for cover.

"Isn't this insanely fun?" Kari asked ironically in a mocking tone, staring at the rain before her. The blonde watched her with a smile on his face.

"Yes, it is." He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him, crossing the street towards the park under the rain. They were both drenched in cold water as they continued staying like that.

"What are you doing Tk!? We're wet!" she shoved him to the side, laughing.

"It's what you call having fun, pretty girl," he shouted out loud, battling the noise of the rain. He ran towards her and scooped her to his arms, carrying her in bridal style.

"Hey! Let me down, freak. I'm gonna kill you if you drop me," she said in half panic and half laughter as she held on his neck tightly afraid of falling down to her butt.

"Woah! Do you eat? You're so light!" He ran the nearest lamp post, carrying her on his arms.

"Tk!"

"Relax, I can handle you psycho. Don't get all nervous," he put her down to her feet and laughed at her face.

"I am not a psycho, you moron. You could've dropped me."

"I wouldn't do that. You're light. You're probably malnourished. Haha!" he teased.

"Ugh! Whatever. At least I'm not a hogging pig. You eat like there's no tomorrow," she stuck her tongue out and reached to his neck, tickling it with both hands.

"Hey!" he quickly pulled away at the same time Kari backed away from him. "How'd you know my neck is ticklish?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I didn't. I do know," she replied as Tk came towards her. "No. No, you aren't. Don't come near me Takaishi. I swear to god, I won't forgive you."

He ran towards her, but she avoided him, running as far as possible from his reach. They were both chasing each other like little kids playing in the park under the rain. They were laughing like idiots until their stomach hurt. She ran from him, keeping short distance from him knowing that he'd tickle her back. And she couldn't take it if he tickled her. But of course, her pace was no match for the basketball player. He easily caught her and grabbed her waist, pulling her to his chest.

"No Tk! Please don't," she tried to wiggle herself from his hold but his grasp was firm. He wasn't tickling her, but he pulled her towards him so that they were face to face. They looked at each other's eyes for a few silent moments, not uttering a single word and all that they could her was the sound of the rain in the background. Droplets were pouring down their face, but it didn't matter. He was holding her, on her waist, tight. Like he owned her and no one else did. She could have looked red like a tomato right then and there but it was dark. Then he broke the silence.

"You think I wouldn't?" he smirked and started tickling her. He tickled her so hard and she laughed like she's almost at loss of breath. She was gasping for air, trying to get out of Tk's wrath.

"Tk.. stop!" she laughed some more until tears were forming in the corner of her eyes. "Please," she tried shoving his hands away from him, kicking him on the knee.

"Ow!" he let go of her and looked at his knee.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He straightened his back and watched her worried face.

She snorted. "What kind of basketball player gets hurt when a girl kicks his knee?"

"That would probably be a really handsome and sexy blonde basketball player who got kicked by his cute pretty friend and is trying to look pitiful so that she could be sweet and caring to him," he smirked.

She narrowed her eyes at him and stepped closer. "So you want me to be sweet?" she encircled her arms around his neck and he put his around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Yes please." They both smiled at each other, probably laughing mentally at the things they were doing.

"Flirt," Kari said and suddenly tickled his neck. He quickly broke away as the brunette laughed at him.

"No fair, psycho."

"Whatever freak. Hey, I don't want tickling anymore. In case you forgot, it's still raining crazy you know. And I'm getting cold," she said, crossing her arms and rubbing them. The rain was still pouring nonstop on them.

"Alright. I'll stop, just for your sake, malnourished psycho," he laughed and took her by his side, rubbing her arm with his hand. She leaned beside him, trying to warm herself. He tucked her beside him and ran towards the opposite street, just behind the gym where they had their game a while ago.

They sheltered themselves under the roofs various shops and restaurants, walking to the corner of the block.

"I have a surprise," he said with a smile and took her hand, ushering her to turn to the corner. When he stopped, she saw in front of her a black Hyundai convertible, brand new and glossy. Not that expensive but suitable for a high school student.

"Ohmygod! Is this mine? Thanks Tk," she smiled so happily and watched his face. He was looking at her with a serious straight face.

"Lighten up Tk, I'm just kidding," she tried to hold her laugh.

"Very funny Kari," he mocked.

"Really, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. But Tk, is this all yours? I mean, what's the occasion?"

"Cool right? My parents bought it. It's supposed to be a goodbye present since they're leaving for London. But I guess they gave it earlier." He shrugged.

"That's so awesome! Now you can go wherever you want. But I'm sorry for the going away part."

"Nah, it's okay. Matt's with me anyway. And besides, they'll be working there on a decent job. C'mon," he opened the door for her as she slid in, and he went to the driver's seat.

"Do you know how to drive?" she asked him.

"No." He replied in a serious tone, looking at her straight, clueless and worried expression. "Chill, I'm kidding." He laughed.

"Hahaha," she mocked. "Very funny. And yes, I'm gonna chill because I'm really really cold and it's all your fault," she accused, crossing her arms on her chest, rubbing them.

He snorted. "You enjoyed it anyway. Admit it," he smirked at her, extending his arms in the back seat searching for his towel in his bag. Distracted by how she looked, he couldn't immediately find what he was looking for. As he watched Kari gaze directly toward the road, he was so fascinated at the sight of her radiant face with trickles of raindrops. Her wet hair soaked by the evening rain, how soft and creamy her cheeks looked and he ached to caress it, wondering how it would feel like under the touch of his fingers. She was so pretty, illuminated by the light from the lamp post on the street. Her hazel eyes twinkled, delicate cherry lips quivered slightly in cold and her smile… it captivated him. He could feel his chest beat like a drum, so he inhaled to relax himself. But just as he did so, he smelled her appealing fragrant scent- lavender on a rainy spring season. He couldn't stop smiling as he exhaled. He tried to recollect himself before she catches him smiling like an idiot. Running his hands through his wet golden blonde hair, he sighed in delight.

"Here's a towel, princess," he said in his nonchalant, teasing tone.

"It doesn't have your sweat in it, does it?" she assured.

"So what if I have my sweat in it? It's Tk Takaishi's sweat anyway. Most girls would die to have that towel," he joked in a conceited way.

"Keep dreaming blondie. All you do is dream." She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, this is clean right?"

"Yes it is princess. It's unused, so don't go all clean freak with me. I'm not disgusting."

Kari ignored him and laughed, drying her hair with his towel. And god, it has the scent of his masculine cologne. She buried her face on the towel, pretending to wipe it but only tyring to hide her blushing face since she couldn't stop smiling. She could already feel the heat rise on her cheeks.

"Hey, you're not trying to suffocate yourself with my towel, are you?"

She laughed, regaining her normal color. He started the engine and drove away to their street. The drive was relaxingly quiet, both listening to the rain outside. No one said a word, but it was a comfortable silence. Kari stared outside the window pane, smiling at the raindrops while Tk focused on the road, peering at Kari's angelic face from time to time. And without knowing, he was smiling all the while he was driving home.

_And I've got all that I need  
Right here in the passenger seat  
Oh and I can't keep my eyes on the road  
Knowing that she's inches from me_

"I can't go home yet," Kari spoke, breaking the silence.

"Huh? Why?"

"I don't have the spare keys. Tai has them. And I think he's with your brother somewhere. I have to wait for him."

"Ah. Alright, I'll let Matt know you're with me."

When they reached his place, he stopped the engine and both of them ran to the porch. Laughing at themselves, they entered the house to the living room.

"Hold on. Let me get you something to wear," Tk went inside his room and took some clean clothes while Kari waited in the living room. "Here," he returned, holding a clean shirt and shorts. "They're the smallest ones I have."

"Uhm. Thanks. I'll just take the shirt. I'm gonna look dorky with both of them on," she grinned.

He raised any eyebrow. "My clothes aren't dorky."

"Yeah sure," she laughed back. "Bathroom?"

He pointed the door by the kitchen and she followed. She changed her wet shirt and pulled in the shirt Tk let her borrow. Although it was one of his smallest clothes, it was insanely huge on her. It reached her mid thigh, enough to cover the whole of her skirt and the sleeves extended down to her elbows.

While she was still inside the bathroom, fixing herself, Tk had already finished changing into his green jersey short, and left his torso shirtless. He was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling thinking about how his night made him extremely happy when the doorbell rang. He got up and went to get it. When he opened the door, he was surprised to find Takuya.

"Good you're home."

"Hey man. What'd you need? Thought you were at the party."

"Nah, just checking out on you. Kouji called you three—"

"Hey Tk. Thanks for the shirt," Kari came out, wearing the huge shirt that reached down midthigh, exposing her fair flawless legs and suddenly blushed at the sight of Tk's shirtless state- looking all sexy with his tan six-pack abs. Takuya dropped his jaws and eyes bulged out from his sockets. "Oh. Hi Takuya," she smiled. "I'll just sit on the couch." Then she left the two.

Takuya looked incredulously at Tk with wide eyes and confused expression.

"What the--. What? How? Why'd you--," Takuya was at loss of words at the sight of the two in the same house. "You didn't….. her, did you?!" he asked.

"Huh? What!? No way man! What'd you think?! I'm not going to do that to her," he replied in a surprised tone, taken a back at the thought and panicky at explaining Takuya the answers. "Dude, I'm not doing anything stupid."

"Huh. Well, what'd you expect if I just waltz in your place and see you opening the door shirtless and she magically appears somewhere from inside your house wearing your shirt and parading with her bare flawless legs? I saw her blush just a while ago too. So what'd you think would be the first thing that would come up my brain?"

"Hey. First of all, you have a perverted brain. Second, I let her borrow my shirt because we got wet from the rain. Third, she has a skirt on under that shirt of mine which is obviously too big on her. And last, we did not do anything!" he explained in a low annoyed tone.

"Ok ok," Takuya seized both his hands up in defense. "Fine, you weren't doing anything. I know you wouldn't anyway. But it caught me by surprise."

"Yeah yeah. So what are you here for anyway?"

"Kouji called your cell three times now. He wants you in the party man."

"Listen, tell him I can't. I have to stay here with her. Her brother's gonna fetch her here."

"Hmm. I see. Well, see you Monday dude," he lightly punched Tk's arm. "And, uh. I like the girl. She's good for you man."

The blonde laughed in response. "Sure, whatever. Later dude," he closed the door after that. He went to the living room with Kari who had tied the huge shirt up to her waist and rolled the sleeves up.

"Takuya's expression made me think about what he thought when he saw me," Kari explained as she turned her attention to him from the TV screen. "But his face was hilarious."

Tk, still in his shirtless state **(Oh c'mon girls! Drool already! I am, right now. haha)**, joined her on the couch and laughed.

"Put a shirt on, please. It's really distracting," she stated.

"Ha! I'm sexy, right?" he grinned with his humungous ego.

"No. It's just hideous," she tried to stop her laugh.

"You have your day today, Kari," Tk said getting up and heading to his room to grab a plain white shirt.

"What's wrong with putting a shirt on?" she followed Tk and leaned by the doorframe, looking at the blonde which now had a shirt on. She noticed a guitar on the bed. "You play?"

"No. That's my brother's."

She raised an eyebrow. "What's it doing in your room?"

He looked at her, arguing with himself if he'd tell or not. "Fine. I play, a little. Very little."

She burst into laughter and tried to cover her mouth. But she was still in hysterics. "Ooh, Tk Takaishi, trying to be the new Troy Bolton. Going all High School Musical thing. Hahaha!"

"You're really annoying today, aren't you, psycho?" he stepped out and closed the door of his room, amused at the brunette. "Shhoo little pest! Stop creeping in my room. I might get a disease," he joked.

"Alright alright. I'll stop," her laughter ebbed. "So, mind explaining me about the guitar?"

"Well, I get bored. A lot."

"Sure you do…" Then, they both heard a knock on the door.

"Is that your brother?" Kari asked.

"Probably," he went to open the door to reveal their two older siblings, laughing like idiots.

"Hey Teeks," Matt greeted. "Good game bro."

"Is Kari here?" Tai asked.

"I'm here Tai."

"Good. Let's go sis," he rested his arm on his sister's shoulders and almost went out of the door. "Oh Tk, thanks for taking care of her."

"Sure, no problem."

"And where did you get that shirt?" Tai asked Kari.

"Oh, I let her borrow it. We got soaked by the rain," the blonde explained.

"Hmm. Ok, thanks little dude. And see you Matt," Tai waved and went to his car. Kari looked back behind her shoulders and smiled at Tk, mouthing 'thank you'.

He smiled back too.

**cancercute ****copyright**

•-•-•

**(a/n) **

**Shit. I haven't made my essay yet! Goddammit! And c'mon everybody! Let's sing the 'I got over my crush' song! Lalalala! Oh god, I'm getting insane. Haha. Cancercute, out! Before I do anything stupid… oh, review please. Thank you! **


	11. Chapter 11

**(a/n)**

**Hey guys! Thank you for all the reviews. They keep making me inspire to write more. I'm really sorry if I couldn't update sooner, school's hectic. But I'll do my best for you! Here's ****chapter****eleven****! Read & Review!**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER 11**

_By_

**©ancercute**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

It was yet another solitary moment in her bedroom. Just her, with the stereo on, listening to Tynisha Keli's My Everything, while she sat on her bed looking at the photographs they took the day before in the dressing rooms. She already had them developed and now, she'll be putting them on her album and some on her wide wall of collage. She kept staring at the pictures and wondered how they could possibly be her- because she totally looked different… and pretty.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the ring of her phone.

**From Tk, Text Message, 11:27 pm.**

Good nyt. :D

And magically, that smile appeared on her face again. She's never gonna get used to it. Everytime something happens that involves him, she couldn't help smiling. There was this some kind of bizarre feeling stirring inside her that makes it so heart-warming.

**From Kari, Text Message, 11:28 pm.**

Good night too.

Then she returned to her work at hand. She decided to show Zoe the photos they'd taken before she posts it on her wall or her album. So she sorted out those girly pictures from the ones she took on Tk's basketball game. It was him again, in that green Odaiba Falcons jersey. She remembered their past conversation some time before, and it was one of those memorable nights she had, because he had walked her to the front door.

"_Hm. Coincidence. You're wearing my favorite color," he spoke._

"_You like green?"_

"_Yeah. It looks good on you. Actually, it looks good on both of us," he smirked._

Tk in green, looking all handsome in that picture of throwing a three-point shot. He does damn well know how to melt a girl's heart. Doesn't he know he's that charismatic?

Her phone rang again.

**From Tk, Text Message, 11:30 pm. **

Why are u still awake pretty girl? (I'm handsomely raising my eyebrow right now) :D

**From Kari, Text Message, 11:31 pm.**

I'm sorting photos. And your raising your eyebrow doesn't affect me. :P

**From Tk, Text Message, 11:33 pm.**

Hmm. My charm must have vanished. But don't worry, I'll get it back soon. Haha. Shouldn't you be sleeping?

**From Kari, Text Message, 11:35 pm.**

You're not sleeping too.

**From TK, Text Message, 11:36 pm.**

It's coz I'm thinking of you. :) you won't escape my head.

**From Kari, Text Message, 11:38 pm.**

Huh. Really? I must be really that pretty. Haha.

**From Tk, Text Message, 11:40 pm.**

Ha! There comes your ego again. But it's true anyway. Pretty psycho!

**From Kari, Text Message, 11:42 pm.**

Whatever. You're just saying that.

**From Tk, Text Message, 11:45 pm.**

So you want me to mean it, don't you? Haha.

**From Kari, Text Message, 11:47 pm.**

I don't need you to mean it. I already know I'm pretty. :P

**From Tk, Text Message, 11:48 pm.**

Yeah yeah. Have it your way. Go to sleep already. It's getting late, you're making me worried.

**From Kari, Text Message, 11:49 pm.**

Ha! You actually know how to worry? Shocking! Haha.

**From Tk, Text Message, 12:01 pm.**

Seriously. Go to sleep. It's not healthy staying up late.

**From Kari, Text Message, 12:03 pm.**

You're not sleeping too.

After hitting the send button, she began to feel drowsiness creeping on her. She felt her eyes getting heavy as she plopped her back on the bed. The photos were still on the corner of her bed, scattered and unkempt. She fell to short span of unconsciousness; then a while after, she woke up in surprise by the sound of her ringing phone- this time, with a different song.

She hurriedly grabbed her phone and looked at the screen. Her eyes bolted in disbelief as her heart wildly raced against her chest at what she has read. _Tk Calling… _Without thinking, she pushed the green button and put the phone in her ear.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hi."

"What's with the call?"

"I need to make sure you're sleeping."

"If I were asleep, I wouldn't have answered your call. But I did fall asleep a while ago. My phone woke me up."

"So I shouldn't have called?"

"You're asking me?" She laughed.

He laughed too. "Hmm. I need to hear you say good night. I can't sleep if I don't. I'll have insomnia."

"Ha. You're a freak. You first. You're the one who keeps bugging me to get to sleep. Where's my good night now?" she can't help smiling. And the thing beneath her chest keeps pumping outrageously.

"Good night pretty girl."

"Good night too."

"Sweet dreams."

"Hmph. Sweet dreams too Teekaay." She emphasized his name in a sarcastic tone. But he just laughed.

"And mwah!"

"Hm. I think that's too much. You only said you can't sleep without a good night."

"But I need the 'mwah' to make my sleep a good one."

"Ha! And you think I'd give you one?"

"Why not pretty girl? I think I deserve it."

"Any reason?"

"We won our game… and I need your care."

She blushed a deep red as he said those words. Oh my god! It was too much. He needs her care?!

"Uh. Okaay? Stop being a baby. How about you give yourself care? Be self-supporting," she tried to cover her embarrassment with a laugh.

"Fine. I'm going to be upset with you."

"Like you'd be able to do that."

"I'm serious," he smiled on the other line. "After this call, promise me you'll go to sleep."

"Alright alright. Don't stress."

"Good night Kari. Sweet dreams."

"Good night too, and sweet dreams."

"Mwah! Please?"

"Uh. Fine, but you owe me. Mwah."

"Sure, I'll remember. Good night!" and then the line went dead. She couldn't believe herself. She just stared blankly, smiling like an idiot in love, and still her phone on her ear.

_Lately things have been a little crazy  
Flippin out and buggin on my baby  
god only knows just what I would be  
If I didn't have you hear loving me I  
Wake up all hours of the night when u are away  
crack a smile every time that you're on my brain  
me without you baby just ain't right  
So if I lose you how will I survive_

And because of his call, she couldn't get back to sleep. He was lingering in her thoughts. She now lay on her bed, curled to the side facing the wall and still kept smiling in the darkness of her room. She looked at her cellphone beside her, then picked it up and scrolled to her log. She pressed Received Calls, and there displayed was Tk's name. There was this foolish yet overwhelming feeling she felt about him. Probably because they've been really intimate with each other lately. She could feel that there was something building up, but no one knows. All she knows was that she liked the feeling. And somehow, that was enough.

•-•-•

She woke up the next morning, and the first thought that came to her mind was.. "How did I get here?" and "Where am I going with this?" Those two questions got stuck in her head as she remembers their conversation last night. It was him again. Even the first thought in the morning, it was about him.

Determined to get the idea out of her head, she got up from bed and stretched. The photos on the corner were still there, untidy.

"Ah. The photos," she cursed to herself. Good thing it was a weekend, she would have free time on doing stuff. Scratching her head, she lazily picked up the scattered pictures and put them aside on her desk. She stepped out of her room to the kitchen.

"Taaaiii??" she called out.

No answer. She called for him again and only the silence greeted her. She opened the cupboard and took a box of cereals and a carton of milk from the fridge, then set it on the table. There she found a note from his brother. _Hey sis, I'm going out early today at Matt's with Sora and Mimi. Won't be home till late this afternoon. Have a nice day!_

She started eating breakfast when the doorbell rang. It must be Zoe since she told her last night at the game that she was coming in the morning. Without hesitation, she went to get the door and opened it.

"You know, it's too early in the morning to-," she stopped midsentence when she saw who it was by the door. It was a blonde, but definitely not a girl. "What are you doing here?!"

"Calm down psycho. I'm not a terrorist," Tk said amused looking at her from head to toe.

"Hey! I'm still in my pajamas, freak," she flustered as she let the door cover her.

"At least your wearing something," he pointed out and she blushed. "It doesn't matter. I don't really mind. What I mind is if you'll ever let me in."

"What if I don't?"

"Then I'll just welcome myself," he stepped inside through the door and smirked at Kari. She stuck her tongue out like a four year old and avoided his grin.

"Haha. Still in here pajamas," he mocked as he followed her in the kitchen.

"Ugh. Pissing me in the morning isn't good blondie. So you better shut up if you don't want me to shove chili pepper in your mouth. I just woke up dumbhead."

"Shheessh. You're awful in the morning. I don't think I'll be able to stand sleeping with you." He still kept that smirk on his face while he watched her eat her cereal.

She almost chocked as the word were out. "What the hell are you saying?"

"Nothing," he said in defense, both hands raised up. "I'm just kidding. Chillax pretty girl. You'll get old."

"Ugh. Whatever Tk. What are you doing here? It's what? Six forty five." She raised her eyebrow.

"Hey, your brother invaded our place along with those two girls. What am I supposed to do? Be their domestic helper?"

"It's better than pissing me in the morning."

"I like pissing you. It's cute," he grinned again, and tried to hide the blush that crept on her cheeks.

Surprisingly the doorbell rang again.

"Hold on, I'll get it," she pushed back her seat and got the door. When she opened it, Zoey came in speaking nonstop.

"Hi girl. I can't believe you didn't come to the party last night. I could have been so wasted but luckily Kouji was watching out for me and you should have seen the look on Karyl's face, I was beyond shocked to find that social climber there. She has such a huge nasty ego, since when does she think she's so close with the varsity team. I saw her flirting with the guys and ugh who does she think she is. I mean like does she even know how filthy her reputation is--," she kept blabbering on her way to the kitchen and when she saw Tk, her mouth hung open in surprise to see the blonde sitting by the table.

"Hi Zoey," he greeted.

"Hey Tk…?" her greeting sounded more of a question. She looked at Kari for an explanation. The brunette shrugged and put her bowl in the sink.

"You're earlier here than I usually am," Zoe commented on Tk. He only laughed and explained why he was there so early.

"Oh," she managed to say. "Hey, I'll just look for my notebook I let in your room."

When Zoe was out of the kitchen, Tk asked, "Is she usually here?"

"Almost everyday," she laughed. "Do want to eat anything?"

"Sure. I'm kinda hungry. What do you have?"

"Just check the fridge and get whatever you like… pig." She giggled after washing the bowl.

"Huh," he opened the fridge and looked for food. He got some pizza and put two slices in the oven.

"Ohmygosh K! These are so cuuuuttee!" Z suddenly burst back in the kitchen carrying the photos and holding them out to her face. She settles herself on the seat and piled the pictures on the table.

"What's that?" Tk asked in curiosity.

"Just some pictures we took in the mall," Zoe said marveling at how they both looked like. Kari kept quiet, trying not to be embarrassed that Tk was going to look at them.

He looked at some of the pictures and became surprised. He was speechless and tried to recover his expression hoping no one caught him. He didn't expect to see Kari look so pretty. He watched her by the sink and then back at the picture. He tried to compare, and yet still couldn't believe it. He was so sure that the girl in the picture is still here. No make up or whatsoever.

"How did you look so pretty all of sudden in here?" he asked in a teasing tone, hiding the true surprise in his voice.

"Huh. Surprised?" she played it safe, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. You should be like this more often. I like it," he grinned. Her poker face was on, making sure she wasn't showing any emotion but a blank expression.

•-•-•

Impressing others isn't what Kari would usually do. But she couldn't get off her mind what Tk said earlier. He liked to see her wearing girly clothes.. aka dresses and skirts. Well, truthfully, she did like how she looked in those pictures. Maybe it didn't hurt to have a little change, but what if he notices that she begins wearing those kind of clothes just because he said he liked it. Now that would make him think she actually likes him.

Does it matter anyway?

_Yes it does!_ She thought. _Ugh, this stupid feeling. _

She kept on thinking about all those silly things while she walked to school that Saturday. She almost forgot the assignment her editor gave her. She was suppose to take a picture of the basketball varsity team… and Tk. She sighed. _God, help me concentrate._

Her camera was hung around her neck and a small backpack hung on her right shoulder. She pushed the gates of the campus and let herself in, heading her way to the gym. She passed by the soccer field and suddenly bumped into Daisuke who was in a rush, carrying a soccer ball and his sports bag.

"Oh crap. I'm sorry Kari. I was hurrying. Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I am. Don't worry," she smiled.

"Okay. What are you doing here? It's a Saturday."

"I've got some assignments to finish. I'm taking a picture of the basketball team for the school paper," she explained.

Daisuke's face fell. Basketball means Tk.. and he, let's just say, wasn't one of Daisuke's favorite person. "Oh, right. You've been hanging out a lot with Tk lately," he mentioned.

That was when she became rigid and insecure, unsure of where this was headed. "Uhm. Yeah. Is that bad?"

"Uh, no, of course not. Uhm.. I just noticed. That's all." She nodded at his reply.

"Do you still use the same number?" he asked. "It's been a while since we've _talked._" In other words, since she busted him.

"Uhm, yeah. It's still my number." She tried to be nice in answering. It wasn't really that she didn't like him, it's just that she didn't like him in that sense. And somehow, she found him so annoying before. Maybe he got over it. Maybe he wants to be reacquainted again. It's good to be friends, and not ignore each other. Maybe he changed.

"So, see you later. I've got practice."

"Oh sure. Sorry for keeping you out."

"Nah, it's okay. I better be going now," he took off and waved by to her. She raised her hand and smiled back, then made her way to the gym.

When she was by the door, Ken noticed her coming.

"Hey Kari," he greeted. "Looking for Tk?"

That was a surprise. Why is it that everyone keeps on mention Tk to her? Have they been really that obvious in hanging out? Maybe only to his friends. But why Daisuke? Were they really that intimate in public?

"Uhm no. Actually, I'm looking for your coach."

"Ah. He's inside."

"Uh, what are you doing here? You need to come in too. I'm taking a group picture of you all."

"Hm. Alright, be there in a sec."

The brunette pushed the heavy doors and entered the gym. All of the players were fresh from bath and were packing up their things. She spotted their coach and went up to him.

"Excuse me coach," she said.

"What's up kid?"

"I need a group picture of the team including you and Tk's solo. The school paper's writing an article with it."

"I see." He blew his whistle and clapped his hands, gathering the boys' attention. "Alright boys. Gather up, we need our pictures taken for the school paper."

The guys commented with each other and positioned themselves. They formed a single line with Coach on the far right. She spotted Tk giving her a ridiculously teasing expression. She ignored him but couldn't control her amusement, so she laughed quietly at herself.

"Ready guys?" she adjusted the lens and leveled the camera to her eye. A chorus of 'yes' was heard as the boys smiled. She pressed click and took several pictures. After doing so, they parted from their positions.

"Okay Tk, you're next," coach said. "They need a solo of you." With that, the guys chorused some "ooohh" and "weeehh". They laughed and teased him, shouting Kari's name and making mushy sounds.

The brunette blushed at the sudden reaction and tried to compose herself from the embarrassment she felt. Her head was bowed down, concentrating on her camera as she fidgeted with it.

"Hey, don't embarrass my pretty girl here," he grinned coming closer to her.

Ugh god! He was riding with their jokes! Her blush became redder and heat rose up to her face. _I better get this thing done. He owes me twice now. Stupid blonde. Ugh!_ She put all her effort in restoring her normal color and put on an unaffected expression.

"My girl?" she raised an eyebrow. "Huh. C'mon blondie, stand over there and let's get this over with."

He smirked at her response. As she focused her camera, he flashed his most drool-worthy sexy grin. He crossed his arms on his chest and looked at the camera. Of course, Kari was biting her lip behind the thing as she looked at the blonde. Damn, why does he have to be so irresistible? Standing tall, handsome face, tamed blonde hair, mesmerizing eyes, teasing smile… this has to be the hardest photo to capture. Taking a photo with the person who also captured her heart. She was almost sweating behind the camera. How convenient.

Taking a deep breath, she pressed click several times.

"Done." She forced a smile back to him.

The other players watched them and laughed. "Kiss! Kiss!" some of them shouted in amusement. With that, Kari blushed and shook her head down.

"C'mon guys, that's enough," Tk tuned up his voice. "Where are you headed after?"

"Home, I've done all my work."

"Mind if I tag along?"

"Sure, no problem."

After most of them fixed their things, they all headed out of the court. Tk was closely by her side as they walked out together.

"Bye lovers!" someone shouted from behind with a laugh and Kari felt her face burn.

"Where the hell do they get that crazy idea?" she demanded Tk with narrowed eyes and knitted eyebrows.

"Hey, don't blame me," he raised his hands in defense. "I don't have anything to do with it. Just ignore them."

"Easy for you to say. You're all guys and they're your friends. Poor me, being cornered by idiotic basketball players," she scoffed.

"Ouch. Now we're idiots?" they both walked along the pathway towards the school gate when they spotted the soccer varsity players going to the opposite direction. Daisuke noticed Kari and he smiled at her, which she also returned. Tk caught a glimpse of this and tried to ignore. When his group passed by the two, Daiskue shouted, "I'll call you."

Kari waved back until he was out of sight and then focused on Tk. "You were saying?"

"Nothing," he muttered as he looked back behind his shoulders and saw Daisuke looking back at him too. Their faces were straight, eyes pierced through each other and not a twitch of the lips was seen. He rested his arm on Kari's shoulders, and Daisuke looked away. Tk focused back his attention on their direction and didn't pay any attention to the soccer player anymore.

Kari felt the blonde's move and got insecure with his arm on her shoulder, yet, she let it be.

"What was that?" He asked.

"I don't know," she replied without giving much care to Daisuke's greeting.

"He's going to call you?"

"Maybe."

"Does he still like you?"

She just shrugged her shoulders, not knowing at all. He paused and stopped walking, faced Kari and stared at her face.

"What?" she asked in bother.

"You don't know?" He raised an eyebrow with his frustrated expression.

"No I don't. Is that a big deal?" she let out a curious smile. "Ohmygod, are you jealous?" she asked in half amusement and surprise.

"No, I'm not." His face was a hard line.

"So what's the deal?"

"I'm just looking out for you."

"Really? Gee, thanks," she rolled her eyes and started walking, and he kept up with her too. "I'm not a kid Tk. And is his call so dangerous?"

"It might be."

"Whatever. Now get your arms down, they're heavy," she took them from her shoulders and dropped them. Somehow, she felt like he was being a little possessive. But not the kind she liked him to be.

"Sheesh." He smiled sheepishly. Yet underneath it, he still couldn't let go of that irritating feeling. Daisuke was bothering him.

** - - - **

**cancercute ©opyright**

**- - - **

**(a/n) **

**I know, and I'm sorry it's kinda short. But that's all I can do for now. And god, long tests are next week! Ugh, school's getting in the way with my fictional life. Lol. Anyway, please do review. They are truly appreciated. **

**THANK YOU to a very nice song: **My Everything **by **Tynisha Keli.

**Oh, and to these people: **_edwardlele_**, **_sugarspiral, takumi4life, 61wisampa, musiclover9419, MM Forever, and BigKuriboh, _**thank you for reading chapter 10! I hope you become faithful to my fic. More power to you guys! See you soon… Ciao!**


	12. Chapter 12

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER 12**

_By_

**©ancercute**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

Chips. Cream cheese. Ice cream. Coke…

"Check."

She picked all the food that was enlisted in her notepad while she roamed around the grocery store. Z will be spending the night at Kari's and she needed to fill the fridge with enough food to feed the both of them. Not to mention his monster of a brother.

While pushing the cart to the counter, she pulled off her phone and dialed Zoe's number.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

No answer.

"Why isn't she answering her phone?" she muttered to herself as she tried to send her a message. It was already late in the afternoon and Z promised her she'd meet up with her in the store. Guess she'd be running late from cheering practice. Again.

She purchased all the items and carried the paper bag in front of her, hugging it like a stuffed animal. She was exiting the store when she suddenly bumped into a tall, hard and rough figure that she almost lost her balance. But fortunately, she didn't.

"Oh, I'm really sorry. I didn't see where I was going," she recollected herself, unable to use both her hands since she was carrying a load of groceries.

"Nah, that's okay. I wasn't watching too--," he stopped when he saw her face. "Oh, hi Kari."

"Daisuke. Hey. Running an errand?" she asked.

"No, actually I was going to buy myself food. Anyway, never mind. Let me help you with that," he took the paperbag from her and carried it himself.

"Thanks, but it's alright. My house's not far away from here."

"No stress. I have time," he smiled at the brunette.

"Okaayy," she laughed. "Thanks."

The duo walked away together, laughing and chatting as they took the direction to Kari's house.

"Wooh. I think he's making a move man," Takuya commented on the sight of the two brunettes as they watched them walk away.

Tk snorted with knitted eyebrows. "The loser doesn't have a chance. C'mon."

"Woah. Chill Teeks. You sound kinda harsh." They took the opposite direction to Tk's place.

"Dude, the soccer player's a ditz. Doesn't he know he doesn't stand a chance?" the blonde replied to his friend, still his head was somehow hot.

"And you do?" Takuya raised his eyebrow, and Tk glared at him.

"Alright, alright man," he raised his palms in defense. "She's yours. Admit you like her already." He sighed and muttered, "Jealousy."

•-•-•

Monday is always the least favorite days of students. It was the start of the week and the start of loads of homework and all other crap stuff. The usual Monday mornings consist of hanging by the locker, gossiping about other students, watching the 'popular people' enter the corridor, bumping into the clumsy skateboarders, passing by the emo and goth students and last but not the least, watching the basketball players come in. And it was mostly just because of the certain blonde boy.

But Kari wasn't there witnessing the daily routine that Monday morning. In fact, she was running late.

"God no," she complained looking at the wall clock in her bedroom as it read 7:55. She quickly grabbed all her stuff and ran out of the door with a comb in her hand, running and at the same time combing her hair. Two blocks away and five minutes to get to school, and by that, the bell will have rung.

Tiring as it was, she ran to school hoping her first period teacher would be running last as well. And it wasn't good to be late on Biology, especially when your teacher's a pain in the butt. She reached school and pushed the heavy doors to the corridors and found the place empty. Everyone was already in their classrooms and she hastily ran off to her locker and got her books.

The brunette was already catching her breath as she was exhausted of all the running early in the morning. And to top that, she has to take a flight up the stair since her classroom was in the second floor. Her legs were already weak as she ran up.

By the time she reached the second floor, she turned to her left and thump! She was bumped by someone and outbalanced herself, falling flat to the ground on her butt. Her books fell too as she hit the floor.

"Ouch. Dammit," she cursed, annoyed at the person who collided with her.

"Oh. Sorry pretty girl," he laughed, extending his hands to offer her help.

She was surprised to see Tk grinning at her.

"What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be in class?" she asked, picking up her things and Tk bent down to help her.

"I was. But then you weren't around in Biology, so I got bored and went out."

"Idiot," she laughed, forgetting how late she already is. Somehow, he managed to sidetrack her.

"Don't rush to class. Skip it with me, just once," he smiled impishly.

"Ha-ha," she laughed sarcastically. "I do not ditch moron. I happen to be responsible," she stuck her tongue out.

"Shouldn't you two be in class?" a loud feminine voice interrupted the two. They both turned their heads and saw the principal coming towards them with an expression difficult to fathom. Either she was angry or just PMS-ing.

"Uhm. Yes ma'am," Kari said quickly.

"Now scramble! And get to class!" she yelled and the two hurriedly ran away from her to their class.

While running to class, they were laughing like idiots.

"See, it's all your fault!" Kari accused him. She took notice of her wristwatch and realized she was fifteen minutes late. "Oh my god, let's go!" she grabbed his wrist, unintentionally and ran to their classroom, dragging him along.

He opened the door and both of them went in.

"Ah, so nice of you to join us Ms. Kamiya. You're late," he snapped as the other students looked at them. "And Mr. Takaishi, what took you so long in the bathroom? Eh?" he raised an eyebrow. There was a brief silence before he let the two sit on their desk and continued to the lesson.

"This is your entire fault you freak," she muttered to him as they seated on their chairs, sharing a desk. "Stupid dumb blonde."

"Hey! Since when does hair color affect your brain?" he took out his notebook and a pen.

"Since this morning."

"I'm not dumb," he muttered in defense while Kari just laughed. "It just so happen that I look so good."

"Oh yes," she tried to restrain her laughter.

"Besides, you could've flunked your P.E. test if it wasn't for me," he retorted back which made Kari shut up.

"Whatever. It was from the bet."

"You're lucky you're cute," he said looking at the board, smiling.

The brunette bit her lip and tried all her best not to smile.

"Ha! You're speechless!"

Her face burned red with his teasing but couldn't think of anything to say back at him. So she settled with the usual. "Whatever Mr. dumb basketball player."

"Do you mind sharing your conversation with us Tk and Kari?" the teacher asked looking at the two students. Again, the others' attention landed on the two as they kept quiet and said not a single word. The other students were quietly whispering.

"Detention to the two of you after class," he announced and went back to discussing.

"Damn you," mumbled Kari.

•-•-•

Detention wasn't fun. In fact, she could have gotten fallen asleep the moment they stepped inside boringland. The room was completely dull and dead. Kari and Tk were the only ones making noise. Well, not really noise, but sounds- just to keep themselves alive. And not die in the midst of silence and boredom.

"I never got detention you moron. So I'm blaming you for all of this," Kari said, passing him the paper full of tic-tac-toe's.

"You're not gonna die, freak. At least while I'm around," he flashed her a naughty grin. He marked an 'x' in a box and crossed three consecutive x's. "Ha! I win again. Loser."

"Huh. Whatever blondie. Tic-tac-toe's are for dumb people anyway," she stuck her tongue out.

"I'm dumb? But you still think I'm hot," he teased.

"You're too full of yourself," she commented.

The two had nothing better to do so they observed at the rest of the students in the room. While Kari was looking out the window, Tk stared at the other direction. They were resting their heads on top of their arms on the desk, yet they were at each other's backs. It was then that he asked her something.

"Did Daisuke call you?"

Surprised ran through her expression, yet it didn't last long. She watched the falling leaves outside and replied to his question.

"Actually, he didn't. But we bumped to each other a day ago outside the grocery store. He helped me with some stuff."

"Mm."

"Why'd you ask?"

"Just curious," he then laughed.

"What?"

"Mr. Soccer dude wasn't a brave ass after all. Turns out he chickened out from calling you," he playfully joked.

"Hey," the brunette turned around to face his back and lightly punched his arm. "You're being mean."

He faced her then and smiled amusingly. Doesn't she know that every little thing she does amuses him? He finds them rather cute. It made him just smile and stare at her. His gaze penetrated through those pair of brown almond eyes and everytime he did this, she could feel her heart beat racing up. Somehow, his intent look makes a trance and she'd find it difficult to comprehend the things around her. Like his eyes could trap her and seal them both in another different world. Where it was only the two of them.

"You're creeping me out," she managed to speak as she tore her gaze away from him.

With her actions, he couldn't help but just smile at the brunette.

"Don't worry. I owe you for dragging you in detention. I can get you a latte as an apology," he suggested, making a funny face.

"Fine. But no funny faces. You look stupid," she laughed as she smacked his arm.

After thirty more minutes of dealing with the boredom in detention, a staff came inside and said something to the teacher.

"Takaishi. You're free to go. Coach needs you for practice."

"Yes," he quietly said and turned to look at Kari. "What about her?"

"You Kamiya," he stated. "You need to report to the Editor-in-chief. Now get out you two."

Both of them silently went out of the room and laughed once they were at the hallway. Tk stopped by his locker and took his backpack. They walked together to the gym before separating ways as Kari was headed up to a different direction.

"Stop by the gym later before you go," he spoke before turning away.

She involuntarily raised her eyebrow, asking "Why?"

"Just do it. It wouldn't kill you," he smirked and left to the direction of the gym.

Kari was left by herself as she made her way to the Student Building. She entered the place to their room and met with Mimi, the editor-in-chief.

"Hi. You wanted to see me?"

"Uh huh. The second basketball game will be next Monday. I need you to go and take documentation on how the game goes. I think the team will be heading to Tokyo so you are excused for two days along with them. You'll be staying in a hotel which the school will take care of and I hope the work's okay for you."

"Uhm. Yes, I think I can handle them."

"Great. That's all. Oh, and two more editors are coming with you. Karyl and Christine. You can coordinate with them."

Kari gestured to leave and left the Student Building afterwards. It wasn't till an hour more before the team would finish their practice and she knew that anytime soon, Zoe's cheering practice will be over. So she decided to stop by the soccer field first before the gym.

By the time she arrived in the field, the cheerleaders were already packing their bags and the soccer players were still having their game.

"Hey K," Zoe said, stuffing her things into her bag and tying her long blonde hair to a ponytail. "I'm heading to the gym. Kouji wants to me to wait for him."

"Yeah I was going there too. But I think they won't be done after an hour."

"Well, we could just wait." They were heading off when Kari spotted Daisuke looking at her. She smiled a friendly smile and his face lit up.

"What's with that?" Z asked with a curious look.

"Not much. He just helped me out yesterday in the grocery store," she explained while walking away from the field.

During their way to the gym, they talked about the varsity's game next Monday.

"This is awesome K! We can hang out after the game you know. It's good that you'll be there too. We're gonna be cheering for the Falcons, girl. Plus, there's a cheer competition too. I'm so excited!"

"Haha. Good for you. And I'll be there to take pictures!"

They entered the gym doors and seated on the bleachers watching them move around the court.

"Don't you get bored waiting for Kouji to finish up?"

"I got used to it. He'd usually pay be back after the long wait," Zoe giggled.

It wasn't that she found basketball boring, their practice wasn't just that exciting. It's always different from the real game. She could actually see Tk get so aggressive and really show his talent on the play. She'd see how graceful he is on court and watch his serious looking face, not his typical smirk or lazy grin expression. And with that, she found herself fascinated by him.

•-•-•

Later that day, when all of the students were out from classes and practices, and ready to go home…

"Attention students." The principal's voice was heard through the speakers while making an announcement to the whole school. "The school dance is being taken care of the Student Council and it will be this coming Friday. No classes that day and the program will start at 7pm. Come in formal attire. Students dressed informally shall not be allowed inside the gym. Thank you and have a good afternoon."

After that announcement, the students returned to their usual doings leaving the hallways full of talking people conversing about the upcoming dance. Kari was by her locker when Daisuke approached her with a smiling face.

"Hey."

"Hi," she greeted back.

"So, I was wondering if—"

"Kari!" Tk instantly interrupted when he shouted her name through the hall. He was at the foot of the stairs, along with Kouji and Takuya, a few feet away from where Kari and Daisuke were standing.

His loud call of her name caught both their attention which made them and other several students look at the basketball players' direction.

With a grin, he shouted from a far, "You're coming to the dance with me this Friday. See you later beautiful." He smiled at her before walking away with his friends.

The declaration he just made sent Kari curious and ugly glares from other girls in the hall. And while she saw how they reacted, she instantly covered her face with her book, embarrassed much and blushed so deep, remembering Tk's words and forgetting how Daisuke still stood there like a dumb idiot.

"Well, wasn't that convenient?" Zoe whispered behind her, coming out of nowhere.

**- - -**

**©ancercute ©opyright**

**- - -**

**(a/n)**

**Sorry it's short. I've been super busy these past weeks.. and months with school. I had to fill and pass application forms for college and there were so many activities. I'm greatly sorry for the long update. I feel like I'm not doing my job well as an author. *cries* but I hope you go easy on me.**

**A HUGE THANKS to **M M Forever, Moncada, musiclover9419, ||-Persephone-||, Takumi4life, Angelface88, 61wisampa, hopes, xbrainlesswriterx, SugarSpiral and of course, edwardlele.

**Fae (edwardlele)**, I feel like I'm a loser writer these past few days. I haven't been concentrating on my life. oh god..

**R**ead**. **and**. R**eview**.**


	13. Chapter 13

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER 13**

_By_

**©ancercute**

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

Breathe in. Breathe out.

She couldn't get over herself. It's been forever since she stopped looking at herself in the mirror and going over on how she looked. Not that she was ugly, but she was overly nervous of tonight's event.

"Do I look okay?" she asked herself for the million and first time. "No, I don't look okay." She kept on rambling nonsense things as she finally combed her hair.

A knock on her door was suddenly heard.

"Kari? Are you done? Tk's waiting downstairs," her mom said aloud from behind the door.

Crap. Her heartbeat instantly accelerated at the mere mention of his name. Her breathe became uneven as if she was about to jump off the cliff. God, she was freakin' nervous.

Gathering herself all in one piece, she opened the door and revealed herself to her mom.

"Kari, you look wonderful, dear," her mom said proudly. The brunette wore a gorgeous green tube dress with crisscrossing ribbon at the back. It went down her knees and silver sequence decorated the simple but elegant garment. She had put on a charm bracelet and earrings, and wore silver high heeled shoes.

"Thanks," she smiled and with all of her courage left, went down the stairs.

_This is it_, she thought. Tightening her grip on the rails of the stairs, she fought hard not to stumble going down. Knowing Tk was waiting for him from below made her heart jump out from her chest and she was scared that the beat wouldn't turn back to normal.

As she reached the floor, she saw Tk's back as he was sititng on the couch.

"She's ready," her mom announced.

Watching Tk get up was like watching the roller coaster go round when she was six. She was tense, to the absolute extreme level of tense.

They finally came face to face. And Damn. Yes, damn was the word. Because at that precise moment, when he turned around to face her, it was like heaven on earth. She was looking at the handsomest god there ever existed. He was on his neatly pressed tux and everything about him was cool. From his disarrayed gelled blonde hair to his deadly fine smile.. or smirk rather, he could get any girl faint into his arms.

He stepped closer to her and said in a low tone, "you're beautiful, you know." He smiled as he marveled at her beauty. "C'mon, let's go."

"We'll go now Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya. I'll take care of Kari," he waved as they both made their way out the door.

"Get in," he motioned for her to get inside his convertible. He drove through the silence of the night as he glanced at her in every way possible. She was mesmerizing, and sure, he was captivated.

"I didn't know a freak could look this beautiful," he teased, twitching his lips into a tight amused smirk.

"I didn't know that a dumb basketball player can look so formally handsome too," she retorted back, repressing the blush that might crept to her face from his previous comment.

They smiled at themselves, watching the road as he parked the vehicle near the school gate. He cut off the engine and there was nothing that could be heard but the far away music that played in the gym. In the silence of the night, he sighed and then smiled. He watched her pretty face illuminated by the moonlight from the darkness of twilight. There was something in her that pulled him closer and he was helplessly smiling at that moment which he found somehow foolish. She raised here eyebrow.

"What?"

"Nothing," he laughed. He searched for something in his pocket and took out a small box. He carefully opened it and took out a silver necklace. The pendant was of two hearts, one smaller than the other and diamonds were imbedded on the side of the hearts.

"Oh my god," she was speechless and shocked. Her gaze moved from the necklace to his ocean blue eyes.

"It's the necklace you've looked at the shop near the court where we had our first game," he said.

"I know," she replied, still in surprise. "But why? You didn't have to get me this."

"No, I didn't need to. I just wanted to," he lifted his eyebrow and flashed his dazzling smile. "C'mon, I'll put it around your neck." He got out of the car and jogged to open the door, holding out his hand to her.

She stood before him and turned to her back. He carefully placed the necklace on her neck and locked it in place. Feeling her smooth creamy neck sent shivers down his spine. It was even softer than it looked. He fought back the urge to caress it, and felt really bad to stop his aching fingers that longed to feel her skin.

Hoping that a conversation would get him out of that feeling, he started to distract himself. "Hey, I never noticed. What happened to your eyeglasses?" They made their way towards the gym where the school dance is being held. As they walked side by side, closely enough and just millimeters apart, he balled his fist to prevent his fingers from slipping with hers, before he ends up holding her hand. Because he'd be so damned if he had made the wrong moves.

"Oh yeah. I traded them for contacts."

It was a quiet walk to the gym, only the music was audible. Not one of the two spoke, probably because of there was nothing to say. But that was weird, awkwardly weird. Because both of them together were never quiet. It's either they'd tease or make fun of each other or make stupid jokes. But this time, it was different.

"What? Nothing you can think of to tease me now?" Kari suddenly spoke, perfectly arching an eyebrow.

"Ha!" Tk breathed out. "You should look like this everytime. Saves you from being teased," he smirked to himself without looking at Kari, who was obviously blushing at the moment.

"Hmph. Whatever… idiot," she muttered the last word.

•-•-•

Music blared through the whole gymnasium and everyone was in their formal attire – in dresses and in tuxedos. The tables were arranged in the sides, leaving a spacious dance floor and the sound operator was at one corner. Everything was in maroon and gold- from tablecloths to ribbons and balloons to decors. Some of the students were already dancing and the others getting food from a large table.

Kari called on to Zoe who was getting her own food while Tk joined in the rest of his friends. The brunette joined her blonde friend and they settled down on a round table. They were chatting while waiting for the guys to finish getting their food.

"So, how do you like my dress?" Z asked as she stood up and twirled around. It was a purple spaghetti strapped dress which reached down her knee. It consisted of different shades of purple on the upper part, and it was sequenced with beads.

"You look wonderful Z. You always do. I like the colour," Kari commented. "It matches your hair.. and eyes too."

Her friend laughed. "I know right. So, aren't you excited about going to this trip with the basketball team? I know I am. This is going to be fun K!"

"Yeah, I'm excited too," she replied with a smile as she watched Tk- who was conversing with his friends- from her seat.

The evening was full of fun and excitement from the happy teenagers which made the night more alive. After dinner, there was a lot of dancing. There was disco music and slow dance. They were all with their own group of friends while they danced to the rhythm of the music beat. Some formed their own circles and did crazy dance moves, while others just danced freely to themselves. Kari was with Zoe, and some of the cheerleading team and her fellow editors. They were having the time of their lives. Tk was in his own group of guys throughout the fun dance.

Slow music finally played and Tk made his way over to Kari to ask her to dance.

"Huh. I never knew you can actually ask me out to dance. I thought you were one of the many guys," she teased as rested her arms around his neck while they did a slow dance. His hands were on her petite waist.

"Oh trust me Kari. I'm not the same as those other guys," he smirked.

She raised an eyebrow, with an expression that says 'oh really?'

"Believe me," he assured. "I can dance. It's somehow kinda like this High School Musical thing where basketball players know how to dance and all that crap. But hell, don't expect me to sing."

She laughed at that. "Oh sure Mr. Shooting Guard. I'd probably force you to sing someday. You just wait."

"Not gonna happen, psycho."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes and continued swaying.

After sometime, someone tapped Tk's shoulder and surprisingly found it to be Daisuke. He nicely asked to have a dance with Kari. With effort, he smiled and politely said "Sure."

Daisuke held Kari and they both had their share of the slow dance.

"You're beautiful tonight." He complimented.

"Thanks," she smiled.

Tk watched as the two of them danced, watching closely Daisuke's hands in assurance that it wouldn't roam anywhere else besides her waist. There was something with that Soccer dude that made him uneasy and vexed. He refused to admit he was jealous of having the same admiration with the brunette, but aside that, he just didn't trust him.

Suddenly, two arms slipped on Tk's neck and found someone pulling him to a dance.

"You look handsome Tk," Karyl said.

"Thanks. You look nice yourself," he forced a smile.

"That's what I just get?" she laughed flirtingly. "Just nice?"

He sighed a bothered sigh. "Fine. You look pretty."

"Only pretty? Wasn't I once been beautiful to your eyes?"

"That was in the past Karyl," he said with a straight face.

"So now I look ugly?" she raised her eyebrow and spoke those words with a frown mixed with venom.

_Yes._ "No."

She played her fingers with the back of his hair and neck, keeping the distance between them close. She pressed herself onto him like she always did.

"Stop it." His face was dead serious.

But she didn't. Her actions made Tk loosen his hold on her waist, but she only did more of her tempting touches. She slid her hands to his chest and took hold of his arms, making them skid to her thighs, letting him feel a bit of her. Her hands moved to his thighs too, traveling up to his chest and neck with explicitly persuasive traces.

"Are you awake now Tk?" she asked with seduction. "You know I can always give you more." She smiled.

Kari saw what was happening from her place. She could see what the girl was doing to Tk, although she didn't know who it was since it was her back that she could see. It made her frown and look away, concentrating on herself to Daisuke and putting away the thought.

"You're being a nasty bitch, Karyl." He threw her hands off him and walked away, leaving her alone.

He returned to the table and drank his cocktail while he watched the people dance, especially Kari.

Soon enough, Kari got tired and left the dancefloor. Spotting him on the table, she came to him with a smile.

"Hey, you alright?" she took the seat next to the blonde and rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he reassured. "You wanna go out?"

"Sure."

They went out the music-filled gym and walked along the pathways of the school grounds. The outside was peaceful and soothing, a break from the never ending musical rhythms of the songs. It made their minds unoccupied and their realizations clear.

"I like the night. It's relaxing," Tk said.

"No, I don't like it," she whined and pouted as if she found something irritating.

"Stop looking so cute, I might kiss you," he retorted back with a laugh.

"Whatever freak," she hmph-ed.

"So why don't you like it? The relaxing night I mean."

"Because you know what, these heels are killing me," she complained as they walked. She grabbed a hold to his arm as she tried with full effort to walk normally without letting herself look disabled.

He laughed at her and motioned themselves to the nearest bench.

Once they were seated, they didn't do anything except watch nothing but the same pathways of the campus.

"Darn it. My legs hurt," she cursed.

"C'mon, place it on top of mine," he suggested, only receiving a 'are-you-serious' kind of look from the brunette.

"Yeah, I'm serious. Just put your left leg here," he patted his right thigh and she obeyed. He placed his right hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him. He held her tight, close to his body as her head rested on his shoulders. His other hand played with her right hand fingers, intertwining it with his.

"I like this. It's comfortable," he said softly.

"Yeah," she breathed out quietly, agreeing with his opinion.

They stayed like that for a while, watching nothing and hearing nothing but both their breaths. He played with her fingers, squeezed her hand and traced lazy circles on it. Finally, he shifted in an angle to which he can look at her directly. She lifted her head and faced him, both of them now looking at each other's faces. He lowered his head down to her and closed in the gap between them. He seemed so thoughtful, as if there were countless of things going on in his head that he couldn't voice out.

"Do you have any idea how utterly beautiful you are tonight?" he said in a low voice.

"Stop trying to make me feel all giggly. You're starting to kid around again."

He let out a small laugh that made him glow like a god. "Huh. Is that so? But no, I'm not joking. I'm actually sincere this time." His gaze on her was intent. His look, so sharp yet soft at the same time, pierced through her that she felt something stir inside. The way his face held nothing but the truth made it maddening and slightly uncomfortable. He was never like this before to her. But now, it seemed like as if she might melt into the ground anytime. Her system became weak, and it was hard to concentrate. Looking into those bright azure eyes of his- which held so many unsaid words- made her dizzy and unable to think. He was dominating her, like he does everytime they tease each other. But at this moment, it was different.

She did nothing, but just stare up at him too, lost in his eyes. She was captivated, held capture by his godlike features, and everything around her was a blur.

He carefully brushed away her bangs and tucked some strand of hair behind her ear.

"I like being with you," he said, sliding his hand from her hair to her jawline. She could feel her chest was about to explode. The gentle touch of his fingers smoothly beneath her skin made her heart flutter, making it feel like a summer day with the sunlight on her face. It felt good, like his trace burned through her soul, overwhelming her enough to make her go unsteady.

With great effort, she tried to speak comprehensible words, afraid that she couldn't utter a sensible sentence.

"If I said the same thing, would you tease me then?" her chest was thundering, as if a storm suddenly came into her system.

"Probably not. I'll spare you this time," he smiled, touching her chin.

He watched her face, but couldn't help stare at her pink glittery lips just as she spoke. There was that urge in him again. He was afraid to, but he longed to taste it. He wanted to feel what her lips were like with his, if it was as soft as her skin, or as sweet as cherry. There he goes again, fighting with himself. Sometimes, he didn't know anymore what to do.

Her lips seemed to draw him near. He leaned closer to her face- millimeters apart- and their eyes were staring fixedly at each other. Both of them felt a dense and comfortable heat. The closeness of the two sent warmth, blowing to their faces and into their bodies. He dropped his gaze once more to her lips, now his hands moved to cup her cheek. But with a short sudden movement, she pulled back and looked away, her left leg sliding back from his thigh.

He sighed and pulled back too. He tore his gaze away from her and watched the grass and pathway in front of him, keeping his hands to himself now. There was a moment of awkward silence between them before anyone could speak a single word. Now the heat was gone. All they both felt was the chill of the night, somehow cold and solitary.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, clearing his throat.

"Sorry too," she whispered.

"Hey, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have done that. It was stupid. I wasn't thinking clearly, and I'm just… I'm really sorry." He looked at her but her face was down, hidden by her hair that she intentionally let fall.

She was blushing really hard and couldn't let him see her that way. She just nodded in response.

And as if fate was on their side, they heard Matt's voice in the microphone in the gym.

"Hey, I didn't know my brother was coming to play," he voiced out in surprise. "Do you wanna go back in? Maybe he'll be playing his songs," his tone was so casual.

"Yeah. That's a good idea. Let's go." She tried to keep her tone casual too, as if nothing happened to them. Rather, nothing almost happened.

They made their way back to the gym with all their friends and had a time of enjoyment while Matt sung with his band.

•-•-•

The rest of the night was a blur. It passed without anyone noticing, and soon, it came to an end. Tk was driving Kari home at that moment after the evening's event.

"Now my legs hurt more," the brunette complained, frowning at the heels she wore.

"But it was worth it," smiled the blonde.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Aw c'mon. Do I have to repeat myself over again? How many times do you want to hear me say you're beautiful?" he playfully complained, unsuccessfully hiding his amusement.

She blushed with his comment. "I didn't mean that." As hard as she tried repressing her embarrassment, it always showed nonetheless.

"You're too obvious," he laughed.

She pressed her lips in a hard line and narrowed her hazel colored eyes. "Now you start teasing me again? God, when will you stop?"

"It wouldn't be fun if I stop. Besides, you'll miss it when I'm not around."

"Conceited much?"

"Nah. Just stating the truth," he said.

"You're a freak, blondie," she crossed her arms on her chest as the car veered to the right and halted to a stop just before her house.

"Uh huh. Which makes you a psycho for talking with a freak," he laughed, leaning on his back and watched her face.

She stuck out her tongue like a child at him and motioned to the door. "Thanks," she said as she rolled her eyes.

He laughed at her gestures and got out of the car. They both stepped to the porch and stopped by the door. He was leaning against it, arms crossed on his chest while he watched her with that heart melting boyish grin of his. With that look, it was impossible to look away. He was damn near to perfection, which made the brunette's chest jump out of her ribcage.

"What's up blondie?" she tried to play it cool. Let not her emotions show, because if she did, it would give her all away.

He gave a small laugh, amused by the way she responded. "Are you sleepy? Coz I'm not."

"No," she answered slowly, as if he might be asking her a trick question.

"So can I stay for the night?" he grinned. Damn it was gorgeous. The grinning blue eyed blonde basketball star in tux, leaning against her front door.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really funny." She rolled her eyes.

"You're cute," he smiled.

"Stop complimenting me. You know it sounds more and more like a tease everytime you do," she lightly punched his arm.

"So you prefer me to insult you instead?" he challenged.

"Yes."

"But aren't beautiful girls supposed to be complimented and make them feel like..," he looked up, thinking. "What do you want to feel like?"

"I want to feel like I'm being cared for."

"Yeah, that." He smiled. Then there was silence between them again. They just stared at each other's eyes before one started to speak again.

"Hey, you know.. I remember when we first talked here," he watched the porch. "We were sitting here on the stairs, getting to know each other, exchanging facts, talking about random things. And that was the first time you knew Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson," he said with a laugh. "Time flies so fast, and look at us now."

"Why? Is there something I should see?" she questioned him with those beautifully innocent round chocolate eyes. So sweet.

He smiled and stepped closer to her. She felt heat rising against the chill of the night wind. Both opposite temperature came crashing against her. He was so close to her that she lifted her head to see his face which was looking down at her. She felt like melting, like snow beside a blazing fireplace.

He gently tucked her bangs away and softly said, "good night."

Her head was clouded and she couldn't think of anything with his eyes penetrating through hers. That's why she settled to mirror his words. "Good night too," she whispered, avoiding to let her voice be hoarse.

With a gentle smile on his face, he leaned down, but not too close to her face. Just close enough to whisper something in her ear which made her blush more than she ever did.

"You owe me a kiss."

**- - -**

**©ancercute ©opyright**

**- - -**

**(a/n)**

**At last people! I have finally updated! I'm really sorry for leaving all of you but I had experienced a truly amazing writer's block. And well, I haven't been very happy these days. But I hope you liked my chapter. I'll do my best to update sooner, though I don't think that'll be possible. Thank you so much for keeping up with an author like me. It's very much appreciated.**

**Thank you to **_Fanreader, wendyman, xbrainlessxxwriterx, SugarSpiral, 61wisampa, , musiclover9419, M M Forever, _and _edwardlele._** Keep the reviews coming!**

**Read. and. Review. **


	14. Chapter 14

**(a/n)**

**Oh my gosh! I love you guys! Really! I have 97 reviews already. How close is that to a hundred?! And guess what? Whoever the 100****th**** reviewer be will have a special thanks from me and the next chapter will be dedicated to her. I'm really grateful to you guys for sticking up with me and Intimacy. I hope you continue your support for me. **

**johnholliday15:** _here it is! I have updated. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me._

**Edwardlele:** _read it first before your sister does. And think if it's alright for her._

**Thank you very much and I hope you enjoy chapter fourteen. Viola!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 14**

_By_

**©ancercute**

* * *

"No night parties. No drinks. And absolutely no late hang out with girls. Understood? Remember, this is your ticket to the semifinals, and I don't accept defeat. So you all better work your butts out and get ready for the game," coach stated while watching each and every face of his players. They were all in the bus that Friday afternoon, on their way to the venue of the game where they will be meeting with the others- the cheerleaders and the school journalists. "We'll arrive late afternoon and I expect you all to be responsible. No fights. Or else I will ban you from playing. Even you Tk," he pointed his finger at him in a warning manner.

"What?" the blonde asked in confusion. "I don't fight."

"I don't mean that. No late hang out with girls, alright?" he smirked and returned back to his seat beside the driver. The other boys made gooey laughs and 'ooohhed' while the some mentioned Kari's name.

"Dude," Takuya nudged Tk's waist and grinned in amusement. "She's coming right? I mean, she'll be there with us in two whole nights. Man, you better not be naughty. I don't want our shooting guard to be all lovey dovey in court."

Some of the guys near them who heard laughed along with Takuya who was playfully batting his eyelashes.

" Yeah Teeks. Don't get all gay with those feelings," laughed one guy who tapped him on his shoulders.

"Hey, who said anything about feelings?" he defended, but then couldn't help but smile. "I'm not doing all that love drama crap."

"Oh you better not be," Ken muttered with a smile.

The bus was filled with laughter and all sorts of fun stuff guys do when it was all just them. No girls, no parents. And what could the bus driver or the coach do? It was a pack of wild high school boys they're talking about. There was no guarantee than any plan be followed. For all we know, the Y chromosome were usually spontaneous.

It was after a few more hours of bus ride that they had finally arrived at Palace Hotel Tokyo where they will be staying.

**•****-•-•**

Later, at sundown, everyone was searching for their respective rooms. Just as Kari found room 302, she quickly inserted her key card and was surprised to see who her roommate is.

"Oh hi Kari. I guess we will be roommates," she smiled, like they way she always does – bitter and plastic.

Kari never actually had a chance to know what she really is. She only heard comments from others and she wasn't about to judge her with what she heard. The girl never even tried to do something nasty to her, so she'd just let her be.

"Hi Karyl. Yeah, I know right? Two nights together," she smiled back and tried to sound excited. She plopped down her bed and let her bags down on the floor.

"Tiring trip much?" Karyl asked while fixing her stuff.

"Yeah." She changed into her slippers and took out her camera, placing it on the bed.

A while after, a knock on the door was heard.

"I'll get it," Karyl said. Once she opened the door, she didn't expect that it would be him. The smile on his face faded the moment they met face to face.

"You're her roommate?" Tk asked in a sarcastically surprised tone.

"Yes, do you have problems with that?" she smiled.

"No." His voice was in a monotone.

"Tk?" Kari asked as she noticed his blonde hair by the door. Karyl let him in and didn't bother to give attention to the two.

"Hey. C'mon, I'm gonna show you something," the blonde beamed a smile, taking her hand and pulling her out the door with him – leaving Karyl alone in the room, with a deadly glare on the door.

"What's the rush? And how did you know what room I was?" she asked. Tk was holding her as they ran about the hallways and took the elevator.

"Relax. There's something I want you to see," he explained when they were inside. Unnoticed, he was still holding her hand when they reached the lobby.

"C'mon, it's outside the hotel." They ran again towards the west where there was a beach. There she found it. A perfect orangey sky. The glittery setting down of the blazing sun. It was a brilliant sunset by the clear blue crystal waters.

_Thinking about you babe  
picturing you right by my side  
girl without you baby, I just can't go on with my life_

They walked down the smooth white sand, pleased at the picture before them. Because of all the running, the brunette plopped down and sat on the sand.

"You didn't even give me time to bring my camera, freak," Kari accused the blonde who sat down beside her too. He pulled her on her waist, closer to him and placed her on his lap. The wind blew against their faces as they watched the sunset before them. Tk rested his chin on Kari's left shoulder while his arms were wrapped around her.

She liked how it feels- to have him hold her, to feel his arms on her, to hear his breathing against her neck. She fought hard to not shiver to the tingling sensation she felt.

_What's this?_ She thought to herself. _We've been too close lately. Holding hands, intertwining fingers, being together most of the time. Where do we both stand right now? I have absolutely no idea. It's like everything right now is about him. There's never a time we don't see or talk to each other. And this feeling… I think I'm falling every single time we're together. I don't wanna lose control. I admit, I'm scared. If we end up together, what's gonna happen after that?_

She sighed. Her thoughts were distant, clouded by the question in her head. He noticed she got tense.

"Hey. What's wrong?" he asked, facing her.

"Uh. Nothing," she looked away. "Just thinking."

"About?" There was a slight expression of curiosity on his face. One that shows discontentment of not knowing what was in her head.

"Stuff."

"You're not telling me something."

"What's there to tell?"

He sighed, letting go of their conversation.

The sun had set down, leaving the sky to its dark state with stars suddenly appearing and the wind colder than before. Kari stood up and dusted off the sand on her shorts.

"Where are you going?" Tk asked, looking up at her.

"C'mon, let's walk around the beach before heading back."

"You wanna walk around the beach?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Well.. the night's amazing, and it's romantic," she stuck her tongue out.

"Getting sand in your slippers is romantic?" he mocked a question.

The brunette rolled her eyes and tried to pull him up unsuccessfully. "C'mon already."

_You were there for me  
you cared for me  
now I know it was meant to be  
I'll be here til eternity  
baby, just you and me_

They began strolling around, their pinky fingers hooked with each other. Much to Kari's surprise, the blonde didn't have anything to tease her today. He didn't comment on whatever there is about her as he would usually do. Today was somehow different.

"Huh. You don't torment me today like you always do. Did you eat something poisonous?" she started to joke.

He let out a small laugh. "I'm just sparing you today." They continued walking around the parking lot. "Besides, you still owe me something." He stopped walking and came in front of her, with a damn fine smile on his face.

She raised one eyebrow, trying to look mean. Her lips were pressed in a hard line, determined to refrain herself from the constant reddening of her cheeks. She managed to hide her shyness and tried for once, dominating the game.

"I don't owe you anything Takaishi," she retorted back.

"I'm serious." His tone was indeed serious, but there was an arrogant smile on his face. He leaned closer to her face, looking at her in that semi-serious amused expression.

She pouted, trying to look upset and pissed off, which was working the opposite way she wanted it to.

"Stop pouting," he smiled entertainingly. "It makes me wanna kiss you more."

Her eyes widened, but then narrowed to look at him accusingly.

"Why? Can't you resist me?" she started mocking him.

"Truthfully?" he asked, still in that same playful expression. "No, I can't. But don't let it go to your head. You know I always win when we play this game." He leaned closer. The nearness of him created a heat between the two. His nose touched hers, and her legs began to melt. They were standing really close and his hands were rubbing her arms, warming it from the chill of the night.

That's it. She couldn't fight back. She was weakened by his presence, by his touch, be everything about him. She bit her lip, undecided on what to do. Here he was- the predator- ready to jump on his trapped prey. He moved forward, causing her to lean her back on a car which she made as support.

He was serious all of a sudden.

"Please Kari. Let me have this one," he pleaded in a quiet yet rough voice.

She was still undecided, unprepared for this. She didn't know he was serious about what he said she owed him. There was this lump in her throat that she gulped in instinct. What did she knew about this? Absolutely nothing.

He was already skidding smooth touches on her face with the tip of his nose, unable to control the urging feeling inside of him to feel her. He gently rubbed her cheeks and inhaled her sweet fragrant scent of lavender.

"Just one," she replied in a whisper, which made it sound like a question. They were closer now than ever. He glided across to whisper in her ear.

"I'm alright with just one. Unless you ask for more," he slid along her smooth jaw delicately, pausing on the corner of her lips. Carefully, he pressed his lips on the corner of hers, and much to his surprise, she responded back, taking his lips into hers. Their kiss was soft, gentle and chaste. He could taste that sweet cherry flavor on her lips, or was it strawberry? He couldn't tell. She moved her lips against his with smoothness in a rhythm only the two of them can understand. His hands moved on her waist, rubbing her skin under her shirt.

This was it. She was unable to think anymore. Her mind was clouded of the strong sensation she felt. Her toes curled in delight. He moved his lips to her jawline, breathing in the sweet scent of her neck and kissing it. Kari bit her lip, trying not to make any sound from the satisfaction she felt as he sent kisses on her bare neck.

Her instinct made her wrap her arms around his neck. He returned his lips to hers, this time kissing it with much intensity and enthusiasm. She responded back as spontaneous effect, tasting every bit of sweetness in it. He sucked her bottom lip and she pressed into him closer, deeper. Both of them moved their lips against each other's with enjoyment and addiction.

Without thinking, Tk slipped his tongue into her mouth which she gradually opened. When their tongues touched quite a few times, realization hit her head and she quickly pulled away from him, eyes wide open in shock.

"Oh my god," she breathed, horror stricken.

"What?" Tk asked in confusion, surprise by her sudden pull from him.

"I can't believe I did that," her voice was not pleased. She sounded stunned and disappointed. "Oh my god. No.. no.. I just didn't do that." Now, she sounded panicked and worried.

"Hey, hey," he held her arms and tried to pull her to him. "It's alright. There's nothing wrong about it."

"No Tk. I shouldn't have done that. That wasn't me. I'm not that kind of girl, Tk," her voice sounded scared and somehow regretful.

"Shh. Don't worry," he patted her back as she hid her face on his chest. "You did nothing wrong. It's not your fault. Do you think it was a mistake?"

She didn't answer him. She just stayed there in his embrace.

"I'm sorry," he comforted her. "But I don't regret any of it. I won't say it was a mistake."

_Oooh I wanna give you all my love  
I wanna show you everything that my hearts made of  
heaven sent from above  
oh I wanna make your wish come true  
baby there is anything I'll do, I'll do for you  
so I give to you all my love.. all my love_

**•****-•-•**

They walked back together to the hotel in the dining area where almost everyone was already eating. The players, cheerleaders and the other journalist were on their tables.

"C'mon dude," Takuya came to the blonde with his plate, chewing some food. "The steak's great."

"Yeah sure. Hold just a minute. I'll be right there." He turned his focus on Kari.

"Go ahead. I'm gonna be with Zoe and uh.. the cheerleaders," she made a face as she mentioned the cheerleaders.

He laughed. "Alright. And don't worry, you'll be hearing my name from those girls… a lot." He smiled and went to his guys.

"Jerk," she whispered to herself and went to Zoe's table.

"Hey Z," she pulled a chair beside her blonde best friend.

"K! Where've you been?"

"I was out with..," she noticed the look the other cheerleader's faces gave her. "Some friend."

Zoe raised an eyebrow.

"I'll save you the details," the brunette whispered. "So, how's practice?"

"The usual. Uhm, Ryo was looking for you a while ago."

"Ryo?"

"You know, the tall dark haired guy? The one who recently joined the basketball team. Karyl's cousin?" she tried to let her friend remember, pointing to the table across them. "The guy who offered you a drink during Matt's concert."

"Oh, him. What did he want?"

"I don't know," Zoe shrugged her shoulders.

They ate their dinner, talking about whatever random things pop out their heads. During the whole duration of dinner time, Kari can't help notice that across their table, Ryo was looking at her every now and then. He was with the other players whom she wasn't really close with or from the guys from Tk's circle.

When their eyes would meet, she'd just simply smile out of politeness, but she ignored it after awhile, trying not look at him. What did he want from her anyway? Attention? She didn't have the faintest idea.

After dinner, coach instructed the players to be early in bed. Their game was tomorrow morning and so they needed as much rest as they could. They all went separate ways to their respective rooms.

"Cheer for me tomorrow?" Tk asked as they walked down the hallways.

"What if I don't?" she challenged. The boy frowned.

"You're gonna regret it," he smirked his trademark smirk – the one which made all of the female population wild and irrational. Maybe that was his charisma – his super power. Something that she couldn't fight with. And here they were again – only the two of them- talking, smiling, laughing, joking. Was it all gonna end? Maybe at some point it will, but right now, this very moment, all they wanna do is just cherish it.

_Sometimes it's so hard to breathe thinking bout you and me  
now we could be __baby__  
is this just a fantasy or reality?  
oh baby its destiny, baby.. baby its destiny_

They finally stopped at Kari's door and she leaned on it. He trapped her between his strong athletic arms.

He watched her with a pleased look.

"What now?" she asked, laughing.

"Kiss me good night," he grinned.

Her eyebrows knitted. "And I have to do it?"

"I made the first move earlier. It's your turn now."

"Am I obliged to? You're so demanding. I don't know why I still keep up with you."

"It's coz I'm irresistible," he twitched his lips. "C'mon baby. Please?" Again with his playful smile.

Her expression was now dumbfounded. "Uh. Baby? Whatever Teekay. What's with the corny nicknames?"

"You're still adorable when you're annoyed. Just give me one. It's not gonna take all your time you know. Unless, you plan on something else," he was teasing her again.

She unintentionally slapped his arm. "What the - ? Seriously Tk, you're turning into a perv."

"I'm kidding. C'mon, please? Just a quick one." He smiled.

She frowned. "Fine. But I can't reach you. You're too tall," she complained. He leaned down to her, their foreheads touching.

"I might get used to this," Tk commented.

"Don't get so lucky." She then kissed his lips gently as he did so too. Their lips brushed against each other, pressing them to have a taste of their flavor before separating. It was a short good night kiss, but it still made a tingling feeling down her spine.

They both separated and for a second, looked at each other's eyes. And then they cracked a care free laugh, like something was so funny and stupid with what they did.

"What's so funny?" she asked laughing.

"Nothing. What is funny?" he returned back her query.

"Uhm. Maybe the kiss thing."

"Oh, so you want something serious? You wanna do it again?"

"Haha. Am I suppose to laugh now?" she mocked, repressing her laughter. They still looked at each other, both preventing their giggle.

"Alright. I'm tired of laughing. I'm gonna hit the bed," he said, still a smile on that pretty face.

"Yeah, you do that. Good luck tomorrow," she replied. But before he went away, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"Good night," he whispered. "See you tomorrow." As soon as he said that, he left her with a hammering heart, flushed and biting her lips.

_You were there for me  
you cared for me  
now I know it was meant to be  
and I'll be here til eternity  
baby just you and me_

**•****-•-•**

She was blankly staring at the white comforter of the bed, thinking, not being able to sleep. What is it with both of them now anyway? Where do they stand at this moment? Were they merely friends doing such close and intimate things together most of the time? Or were they somewhere along the boundary, leaving the place of friendship and into the position of becoming lovers? Sometimes, it's hard to think what he's saying are true. Are they for real, or are they jokes? She couldn't tell coz there's always that playful smile on his face, making it difficult for her to fathom.

If all of those were jokes, does it mean they're all half meant?

And what if their relationship continues getting closer and closer? What happens after that? After all the laughter, the closeness, the sprout of something so genuinely precious… Are they all gonna fade away at some point? Do they expect their state to last?

Because all she knows is that nothing is permanent. Everything is temporary, and they go into a process of change- whether good or bad- and we all just have to deal with it.

She rolled once again to her left side where she can see her roommate sleeping. The night seemed to be awake. More and more things kept on registering in her mind. She recollected all the things they both did the past few days and she couldn't help but think that every minute they spent during those days made her increasingly at the edge of falling in love. Hypothetically, you can't prevent yourself from falling. But in one way or another, we can avoid hitting the ground and keep ourselves from hurting.

Since all this time, she has been on the verge of that risky cliff where there is no guarantee that there will be a safe landing. She'd just have to make sure she doesn't hit the ground and break. Because once she did, it'll be more complicated to put herself wholly undamaged, and as unbroken as before.

But before she could think of anything more, she finally fell into sleep.

The next day was an excitement. Everyone was busy doing their own thing. Cheerleaders practicing their cheers there, the players preparing and fixing their line up here, and the journalists are just scattered around, waiting for something to happen.

Karyl noticed the two talking before the game starts.

"Meet me later after the game alright?" the blonde requested.

"Yeah, whatever," she playfully rolled her eyes. "Three points?"

"Sure. For you," he smiled and jogged his way to the locker room. A few minutes later, the game would begin.

Everyone crowded the bleachers of the gym that morning, eager to watch the Odaiba Falcons and the Nagasaki Tigers win their way towards semi-finals. The announcer started to introduce the teams and the Falcons came out as their name was called, together with the loud applaud of the watchers.

"Go Falcons Go!" The cheerleaders clapped and shouted, doing their routines.

After a few moments of preparation, the first five went in the center of the court. The tallest of the team, Ryo and one other guy from their opponent stood in front of the referee. As the whistle blew, both guys jumped and reached for the ball in the air. Falcons caught it and passed it to Takuya who dribbled then passed it again to Tk who was standing on the three point line. With just a little effort, he threw the ball and it went through the hoop. First shot, three points by Takaishi.

The other team stole the ball and made a few more points. But as the game went on, it was clearly obvious that the Falcons was in the lead. Tk made most of the points and the way he gracefully runs in the court made the game more heart-melting than exciting. He seemed so energetic and in full spirit, very much motivated in playing and shooting the ball. Maybe it was all because of a new inspiration.

Through the whole game, Kari noticed that Tk looked at her several times. She did her job taking photos of everything. Almost all of the players had their share in scoring a point. By the last two seconds, Tk still managed to make a three-point. The horn blew, signaling the end of the game, leaving the Falcons with their victorious win. Confetti rained down and the varsity had smiles on their faces.

Everyone roared and congratulated the players as they started heading out of the gym. Kari went over to Zoe who was under the basketball hoop with the cheerleaders.

"Hey, nice cheer," the brunette commented to her blonde friend.

"I know," Zoe laughed. "C'mon, let's celebrate." The girls started heading out. But Kari looked back behind her shoulders and met eye to eye with Tk who mouthed "later."

**- - -**

After the game, Tk went back to his room to take a shower. Seeing Kari was busy talking with Zoe, Karyl grabbed this chance to follow the blonde in his room. She waited for him to go inside the bathroom before entering his room.

"Kouji, is that you? Hold on," Tk shouted from the bathroom. He was drying his wet blonde hair with his towel. There was no response.

Karyl, who was quietly waiting for the blonde to come out, sat cross-legged on his bed and noticed his cellphone lying around. Without second thoughts, she quickly took it and looked for Kari's name in the contacts, typed a message and pressed send. Out of curiosity, she checked the pictures in his galleries and found several photos of him and Kari. Jealousy rose with her temper at the sight of the two. If Kari wasn't on the way, she would have seduced the blonde back to her heart a long time ago.

Tk was only wearing his basketball shorts, leaving his torso bear as he stepped out from the washroom. Much to his surprise, it wasn't the usual person he'd expect to be in the same room as he is.

"What are you doing here?" he asked coldly, ignoring her as he looked for a clean shirt.

Karyl looked up to him, got up from the bed and smiled. She was wearing a really short skirt which exposed her legs and a button up shirt, which she was now flirtingly unbuttoning in front of him. He never got the chance to put on his shirt since she was all over him.

"Congratulations on your win," she came near, dropping her top on the floor and closing the space between them.

"I don't have time with your slutty performance," he spat, and motioned for her to the door. "Get out."

But instead of doing so, her hands snaked temptingly on his chest and made their way locked around his neck.

"I missed you babe," she whispered sexily on his neck. And without a moment's hesitation, kissed him on the lips. She crushed herself into him with force and ran her fingers through his golden blonde hair as if he was hers. She was starving for the taste of his lips that she moved her lips against him in such intense madness and want. The smell of desperation filled the room. She was on the process of taking off her skirt and he was about to pull away when they both heard a sound.

All of a sudden, with ill fate, the door creaked open. Kari, who entered with a pleasant smile on her face was too stunned to even take another step. Her expression dropped, horror stricken and confused of the scene revealed before her at that instant. Both of them were topless and too close to each other than necessary.

"Kari, this isn't what you-"

She interrupted what Tk was about to say.

"I'm sorry," she spoke, hiding the crack on her voice which was still hearable if you listened closely. What she said was a lie. Her apology was untrue, because she knows she will never be sorry about seeing what she saw. It was better to see it than hear a thousand lies and excuses Tk would be telling her soon. She turned her back and went out the open door, carrying with her the fragile heart she knew that at some point was going to splinter into pieces.

Although she didn't know it was this soon.

**- - -**

**©ancercute copyright**

**- - -**

**(a/n)**

**Woah! I finally posted chapter 14, and it's great! You know, I had a huge author's block at the beginning but when I got over that, it was all easy to let all the events flow. But damn, school just has to be in the way with all the bullcrap. I've been so hectic lately and I feel like I'm having more and more white hair. Did I mention I have white hair? Eeww, really, I hate it. So anyway… this is just the start guys – where the story actually begins! Stay tuned for the next installment of In- tee- mah-cee!**

**Thank you avid supporters! I hope you'd stick with me till the end of this story. Muchos gracias!**

Song in the chapter:** All my Love **by** Innervoice. **

**Please Review. **

**Till my next update.. Cancercute is out. **

**P.S. wish me luck on my exams. Especially physics (argh)! And hey, what's a nice Christmas gift for a guy?**


	15. Chapter 15

**(a/n)**

**SORRY readers! I know, it's been so long since you've heard from me but school's a bitch. Don't worry though, I'm graduating and I'm off to college! Horay! But before that, a huge APOLOGY for making you wait. I know how it feels to wait forever. **

**OMG, if you guys only know how much work I was loaded with these past few months. It was crazy!! But hell, you don't need to hear that- all the crap, the guys, the fucking school works I've been dealing with. And we just had our prom this February, a week right after Sportsfest! Not much of activities eh? **

**So don't mind it all. I just wanna share what's been up with my life that I haven't update. Blah blah blah! Here's another awesome chapter of intimacy! Hope you like it.. Enjoy! *smiles & gives everyone a gigantic relieving hug***

* * *

**CHAPTER 15**

_By_

**©ancercute**

* * *

_I shouldn't have let myself become vulnerable. I shouldn't have opened my heart for something I wasn't sure of. I shouldn't have let myself be attached to something so temporary. Stupid me. Here I am, at the face of the consequences of my actions. I shouldn't have, in the first place, become so close with him. I could have prevented that from happening, but I don't know. During those moments we were together, I felt like everything was alright. Like nothing could go wrong and fate brought us together. It must have been the effect of watching and reading those clichéd love stories where there is always a happy ending. I was caught up with the those kind of feelings that I was blinded from the signs and warnings that could have lead me away from harm. Was I really that careless?_

_And what about those times we shared? It must have been a touch of friendship for him and maybe I reacted too much and thought of it differently than how he intended it to be. But what about that kiss? That reckless foolish kiss we shared yesterday? Was he just playing with me? To think of it, all he does is tease and laugh at me. What makes that kiss any different? I'm sure he's been through it with other girls.._

_I should have known. Basketball players are too damn good. He played it well. Never did let his guard down. I lost the game. _

She sat there, watching the water splash in the shore, while teardrops continue to leak down her cheeks. It's almost been two hours since she's began sitting like that, tracing lazy circles and lines on the sand with a stick.

It hurts. It just hurts so bad, and she'd been crying like shit the moment she found herself alone. She recalled the scene in his room a while ago, and couldn't help that it makes her chest contract in pain. She sobs and wipes the tears away but it keeps on running down, like raindrops on the window pane.

She fell in love. Here, right now, admitting to her damn foolish self that she fell in love. For the first time ever in her life, she felt as if she was losing gravity. She fell for someone she never thought of being friends with – the star basketball player, the dude with the crazy handsome blonde hair and heart-melting blue eyes. And here she was, crying her heart out.

Yeah, the first time always hurt doesn't it? Like the first time you rode the bike, you fell and bruised yourself. The first time you had volleyball in P.E., you get hit by the ball and it hurt. All those first times you had, you tried and tried until you managed to do it right and be immune to the pain.

But will she ever try and try to fix it with him, try to mend it right, and be immune to the pain he gave?

What the hell, she was already broken. How much more resistant could she be to that pain? If only there were an anesthesia for a broken heart.

"Hey," a masculine voice suddenly interrupted her solitude. She looked up, voluntarily wiped her tears away, and found it was Ryo.

"Oh hi," she smiled.

He motioned to sit beside her. "You alright? I saw you a while ago, running away.. crying. I thought something happened. But I decided on giving you time."

"Thanks, but I'm okay."

He looked at her face with his dark bluish grey eyes that she somehow found comforting. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she nods. "Don't worry."

"You mind telling me though? What happened.."

She stared at him as if debating unto herself whether to tell it to him or not. But she found no reason not to tell. What could go wrong anyway? It's not as if Tk's been her boyfriend and their breakup would turn into a fuss or anything.

Then she started narrating their story to him. From the time they both met, to the basketball practices, their first date, their bets, the constant textings, the hang outs, the name-calling, their kiss.. everything that she remembered they both had been through. And then sharing what she saw a while ago.

Going over it again sent a twinge in her heart, like someone pinched it so hard that it made the tip of her eyes teary.

"So that's it.. It's really corny though. Not so much of a story," she faked a laughed and whispered to herself. "But damn, it hurts so bad."

He watched her stare at the beach. There wasn't much that he could say to comfort her. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," she said in a low helpless voice. Just after a while of silence, her stomach suddenly growled. Hearing this, she blushed in embarrassment.

"Did you have lunch?" Ryo asked with a small laugh, amused of the little funny sound.

"No," she laughed too.

"C'mon. Let's grab something to fill your stomach." They both stood up and went to the nearest fast food.

******•**-•-•

"Dude, I looked for her everywhere. I couldn't find her," Tk said, running his hand through his hair in exasperation as he paced back and forth in their room.

"Chillax man. What's up?" Kouji, who was leaning his back on the chair, asked his friend with concern. Tk was in utter panic. Not that kind of panic before a basketball competition, but the kind that made him frustrated.

"I did something… bad. And I have to apologize to her. It's huge man, and I don't think it's gonna be easy. " He rubbed his face with his palms and tried calling her cell. His fingers were shaking in a hurry as he dialed her number. There was a ring on the other line but it eventually stopped.

"Dammit," his voice was quiet, thoughtful and regretful. "I have to look for her." He rushed out of the door in a quick and clumsy movement, causing Kouji to think about his behavior and followed him.

"Hey Tk! Wait up!" he ran to him and grabbed his arm. But the blonde instantly pulled it back roughly causing Kouji to stumble slightly.

"Darn it Kouji. I'll explain later." He went away and passed Zoe who was looking at him oddly.

"Hey boyfriend, what happened?" Zoe came up to his side and kissed the corner of his lips.

"Have you seen Kari?" he asked.

"No, why?"

"He's been looking for her the whole noon. He barely even ate during lunch."

"Now that you've mentioned it, I haven't seen her after the game."

"I think something bad happened to both of them," Kouji concluded.

Tk asked his other schoolmates whom he bumped into if they have seen Kari, but none of them answered yes. He continuously walked around the hotel and outside the beach but didn't find her. He looked for her in the parking lot and yet, she wasn't there.

He passed by a restaurant and saw that Ryo and Kari were together, laughing as they took a sip from their glass of lemonade. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She found some other guy to share her laughter with, not him. And when he looked at Ryo, a stab of jealousy hit him like daggers. He didn't understand anything, uncertain of what to do next because of the sudden shock and slight rejection he felt. It was like he was itching to storm up inside and beat the crap out of the guy, but his conscience told him otherwise.

It felt irrational. Seeing her happy with some other guy was resentful. He balled his hands into fists and tried to push the feeling away as his temper began to rise. It didn't help when out of the blue, Karyl came appearing beside him.

"Hi Tk," she said flirtingly, grabbing his arm and pressing herself onto him.

"Go away Karyl. Don't cause me anymore trouble," he forcefully let go of his arm, causing her to stumble backward and almost fall if a car wasn't parked behind her.

Ryo, who was with Kari and just in the fast food restaurant in front of them, saw the whole thing and hurriedly rushed outside. Kari tagged along and what happened next was a series of unexpected blows.

"Hey! What did you just do to my cousin?!" he asked in a pissed off tone, pushing the blonde's chest.

"Your whore of a cousin was clinging to me like the bitch she is. Don't you know what she's been doing?" Tk was being rude, already ticked off from his limit when he saw the two of them together.

"Watch your mouth man. Don't talk to her like that," Ryo pushed Tk's chest in anger.

"Hey. Stop pissing me. Don't you know what shit she was doin? Like you.. couldn't keep your hands on one girl," he pushed Ryo more forcefully this time. Ryo stumbled but remained his balance.

"It's none of your business." He instantly launched towards Tk and punched him.

"Hey! What's wrong with you two?!" Kari shouted, grabbing Ryo. Kouji and Zoe arrived just on time when both of them started fighting.

Tk threw his fist at him and they began grabbing each other.

"Stop it! What is wrong with you Tk!?" Kari broke in between the two and shouted at the blonde.

"What's wrong with me? What have you been doing with this bastard?" he demanded.

"This bastard happened to be treating me lunch. And what are you so angry about?!"

Tk ran his hand through his hair in irritation. "I don't like it, okay? I'm trying to watch out for you. If he tries to do anythi-"

"What?" she asked in mixed disbelief and anger. "You don't like it? I never asked you to like it. It doesn't matter if you do or not because I am not yours. And I was never yours." Tears started to leak out her warm hazel eyes. "You can't watch out for me Tk. Coz the only one hurting me around here is you."

Her words pricked his heart like thorns. Seeing her angry and teary because of him made him weak. He had hurt her even though he knew it wasn't his fault. He made her look so broken and wrecked, and guilt suddenly came eating him knowing he did this to her.

"Kari please. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen. I--"

"Whatever Tk. It's already done. Even if you meant it or not, it still hurts the same. What more do you want to prove?"

"Kari-"

"Save it for someone who cares," she wiped her tears, put on a brave face and walked away. Zoe followed the brunette while Kouji took Tk with him, leaving Ryo and Karyl to themselves.

"Man, are you insane?! We have a damn game after a few hours and you go on fighting the shit outta Ryo?" Kouji tried to talk sense to the blonde whose blood was boiling in his head. "We need two wins Teeks. Two wins. Just get this game done and deal with her later. Can you handle that?"

They walked hastily away from the set to a small basketball court near the side of the parking lot where the rest of his teammates were. Later that afternoon was their second game against the Nagasaki Tigers, which in all hopes would end as a win.

The blonde's head was heating up – not contented on what to do. His mind was unruly, unclear and without a doubt unable to understand what's happening and what will happen. He continuously paced back and forth by the bench where Kouji was sitting and watching him with a confused expression. Tk ran his hands through his golden hair in exasperation and called up to his other teammates who were playing.

"Yo, pass the ball," he called up to one of them and caught the ball. He dribbled it, aimed at the hoop and moved across the court, gliding against the rest without noticing the rough hit his shoulders gave them. He threw the ball up in the air. And much to his surprise and some of the others, it didn't go under the hoop. His expression was pissed. He tried shooting the ball again and again but each time was a fail. The rest of his teammates now stepped aside and let him shoot the ball. They all had questioning looks on their faces, wondering what the hell had gotten up to him.

"What's wrong with him?" Takeru asked Kouji.

"Kari," he murmured. And then he nodded in understanding.

"Argh!" Tk threw away the ball and it hit the concrete wall, bouncing away from him. He rubbed his face with his palms, rested his arms on his thighs for support, and then looked up at the sky. No one said a word for that moment but the silence was only broken when Ryo caught the bouncing ball.

"Hey, didn't know you guys were playing hoops," he has a smile on his face as he entered the court. He passed the ball to Takuya who was standing near Tk. He caught the ball and threw it back to Ryo. As he caught it, his eyes and Tk's held for a short moment. No smile, no expression, just the plain hold of each other's eyes- the cold blue ones and the deep silent dark grey.

Restraining back the anger boiling in him, Tk walked away from the spot where he was standing and was on his way to exit the scene. As he passed by Ryo, he managed to catch what he just said. "Sorry dude."

Unable to hold it any longer, he grabbed Ryo's shirt forcefully, which caused the rest of the guys to hover over them. "You asshole," he spoke through gritted teeth in rage. Kouji was able to pull him back away, although Tk kept it hard to maintain his hold. The blonde constantly kept on breaking free from his friend's hold.

"If you ever touch her, you bastard, I swear to God I'll beat the shit out of you," he warned as he looked at his opponent's face.

"Hey, dude. I didn't do anyth-" Ryo tried to explain and defend himself from Tk's accusation, but was cut off.

"Just so you know," he said. The mood he was in now made his handsome face look utterly dangerous. He threw his right arm towards Kouji and he let him go. He turned to his back and walked out of court, leaving the rest of them watching him with discouraging and confused faces.

"I guess we lost a shooting guard. Good luck to our game later," Takuya said out loud.

******•**-•-•

"I'm so stupid Z! I shouldn't have let my guard down. I let him get to me.." Kari kept on complaining to her cheerleader friend, fighting back the urge to cry. Although through her broken voice, it already shows how much tears have washed from her eyes.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself K. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding. Maybe if you knew what happened before that.."

"Oh yeah. And stare at how they nastily undress each other? Z, what I saw is enough."

"I'm sorry," Zoe apologized, unknowing what to say.

Kari laughed at her response. "I received that three times this day."

The cheerleader lifted her gaze and watched her friend. Although there was a smile on the brunette's face, it was obvious that she was hurting. Kari returned her attention on her camera as she sat cross-legged on the bed of the cheerleader's room.

"I came here to take pictures, not deal with some drama crap. After this, everything's going back to the way it was.. before I even met him. It's better that way." That smile was still on place as she went over to the previous photos she took.

"Are you just gonna give up on both of you K? Give up on what you have?"

She looked up to Zoe. "What do we even have, Z? Because tell me, I don't have a damn clue on what we have. We were never together."

"But you both act like you guys are an item."

"But we aren't technically." She began to focus herself on the photos again. "So, what do we have? Enlighten me," she asked sourly and sarcastically.

"Friendship," Zoe sighed.

She laughed a cold dry laugh this time, without redirecting her gaze. "What kind of friends kisses each other good night?" She meant it as a rhetorical question.

"He kissed you?" Zoe asked, blinking in surprise.

"Yesterday, twice," she felt so nonchalant about it. As if what happened could just come and go, and as if it happened years ago that she could bury it in the past and forget about it. But what she keeps on denying is that it was still fresh in her mind, and constantly repeats everytime. And those every time pains her, like her heart is being clenched, squeezing the life out of it.

"Kari.."

"Look, it doesn't matter Z. Don't worry about me. Maybe I did act a little stupid.. wait, scratch that. A whole lot stupid. But hey, learn from your mistakes. I'm not gonna let this mistake bring me down." The smile that was plastered on her face a while ago suddenly faded and dropped down as she stared at the picture in front of her camera. Her eyes narrowed and she quickly looked away from the screen.

"Was it really a mistake K?"

Kari's strength instantly dropped, and the question struck to her head. Was it really a mistake? Was laughing, joking, playing around with him a mistake? Was talking about basketball, photography, coffee, and adrenaline rush wrong? Was holding his hand and walking together not right? And everything they went through and the moments they had together was nothing but merely jokes? That those things that happened between them was a lie?

For Kari, it was true. As clear as she remembers, it was true. She felt something, and that means something, right? She felt pain.. and knowing that makes all of those true. What makes the line 'pinch me' understandable? Knowing that there is hurt and pain… just makes it real.

"Yes Z. Yeah, it was a mistake," she replied without looking at her friend. "Hold on a sec, I forgot my phone in my room." She got up and rushed through the door. Zoe looked back at her and then her gaze rested at Kari's camera. She took it and looked at the current picture it was displaying. It was Kari and Tk, on their backs, sitting on the sand by the beach, watching the sunset together. She smiled to herself at the picture she took, and hoped that Kari would never delete it.

The brunette walked down the halls of doors and turned to her right to the second door. She entered her room in search of her phone when Karyl stepped out of the bathroom.

"Your phone is on the desk," she said in an i-don't-care tone.

"Thanks," she murmured and took her cellphone, putting it away in her pocket and then headed for the door.

"Oh, and just a tip, don't go running after Tk. Don't waste his time," she said while combing her hair in front of a mirror.

"Oh you can have the bastard, bitch. I don't want anything to do with you," Kari retorted as she walked to the door and opened it. And just as she did, a tall body met her by the door frame. Simply by the feeling that triggered upon her, and that strong fragrant masculine scent she smelled, it was none other than him. And before she could stab him with her words, she closed the door from behind. She wanted to be cold towards him, to make him feel hurt.. like the way she does right now.

"Karyl's inside," she informed him without looking up and moved to his side to start heading back to Zoe's room.

"Kari, wait," he grabbed her arm to prevent her from escaping. "Please listen to me."

"I don't wanna talk right now. I have to be somewhere," she tried not to look at him, tried not to say his name, tried not to picture the look on his face at that precise moment. Because once she did, once she let her dignity, pride and self-worth go, she doesn't know who will catch her when she falls.. when her legs would suddenly melt by just staring at his perfectly ocean calm eyes.

She shook off her arm from his grasp.

"Please Kari," he pleaded. "Look at me."

"What? Just say it so we can go over it," she spat coldly still gazing away from him. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, and she hated it when he does that because it was so damn irresistible. She bit her lower lip.

"I'm really really really sorry. I-"

"I heard that already. If you're not gonna say anything new, I might as well go."

"Dammit Kari, please. Let me explain."

"Oh, and now you're getting pissed. You're the one wasting my time… Tk." There she said his name, and it made her cringe. "Why didn't you just tell me in the first place? That she was you ex? We work in the same Student Org, in the same room and I didn't have a freaking idea that you two had a thing. That she's still not over you." This time, she took the risk of looking at him.

"You just planned on letting myself put the pieces together? That I'd find out eventually? All the things I don't know about you.. the girls you've been with.. who might have been hating me while I was hanging out with you. Maybe you could have thought of cleaning your mess first before involving me. God, Tk. If you think this is a game, well, fine. You win. You're the best player anyway."

"No, no," he held her wrist again. "It's not like that. It doesn't matter. Those things-"

"Yeah, I get it. It doesn't matter. And you're right. It doesn't," she shook off her wrist from his hold and walked away.

He watched her do it. Never turned her back to look at him, but just continuously walked to a straight direction.

"Kari, please. Don't let me go," Tk whispered to himself as he shook his head, put his hands on his pocket and took off to the opposite direction.

As Kari turned to her left- knowing Tk was out of sight- she leaned her back on the wall and tears began falling down her cheeks. Her visions blurred, and her legs could no longer support her. It was difficult to breathe as she released sobs and cries that wounded her chest. She slid her back against the wall for support and sat down, cradling her broken heart. It was so painful and truly hurts. She couldn't control her cries anymore as flashbacks of the past came crashing down rapidly upon her and she couldn't handle the heavy weight of those reminders. She covered her mouth as her cries became louder and louder.

It was too much to take. Too much for a day, for a little vulnerable girl like her. Sweat was now forming on her forehead and her whole body heated.

"Kari?" A guy's voice called her name. "Kari!" He came closer to her, kneeled and scooted her in his arms.

"I.. can't.. breathe," she managed to speak through the difficulty of breathing and continuous sobs. And just as she said this, she passed out.

**- - -**

"Are you sure she's gonna be okay?" Zoe asked in worry.

"Yeah, she will be babe. Let her rest. I'll be with the guys," Kouji said and kissed her cheek before heading towards the door.

"'Kay, thanks. And if you decide to tell Tk what happened, tell him Kari doesn't want him knowing."

He nodded. After their conversation, Kari began to stir in her sleep and little by little woke up and became conscious again.

"What happened? My head is so sore," she whined.

"You passed out a few hours ago. Good thing Kouji found you. What happened K?"

"Nothing," she tried to avoid the question.

"It's him right?" Zoe quietly asked.

The brunette let out a long heavy sigh and replied. "Yes Z. It is. And it won't happen again. I just got carried away. I promise to myself that."

Zoe remained silent and climbed in the other bed of her room. She worried for her friend, unknowing of what's the best action to do next. Probably to just wait and see, but she didn't want Kari to be hurting. And she doesn't know how on earth that would happen. Especially right now..

"Could I sleep here tonight? I don't really feel much my room."

"Sure. And we better get ready soon. The game's about to start."

_Here we go again. _Another one of his games, and God she couldn't get over the double meaning of that sentence. She just needed to do her job – watch the games, take pictures and done. No need for interruptions, and hopefully no looking at a particular blonde. She needed to get her dignity up high. He's just one of those typical high school jocks anyway. The one who breaks your heart, who plays the game right, who ends up winning. He wouldn't be of much importance now and all she'll do is just ignore him. She's way better than those girls whose world stops spinning because of a guy. It was just plain pathetic and stupid.

"Yeah c'mon," she actively jumped off her bed and headed to the mirror to observe her reflection. She put on powder and lip gloss just to color up her lips and then smiled at herself.

"Okaaay," Zoe said in a suspicious tone. "What's with the sudden energy?"

"I finally figured it out. I'm gonna live life – take a break from my quiet and timid self, and just let loose. You know, party, have fun, whatever. And I'm not gonna waste my time sulking by the corner crying my heart for a guy," she waved her lip gloss in front of her with a no. "This is high school, and things like this happen. I'm still gonna be me, but I'll look beyond who I was."

She put down the lip gloss and took her clothes to change. "I want to let go, get over and start fresh," she said as she went in the bathroom. Zoe fixed herself up in front of the mirror and changed into her cheering clothes and tied her long blonde hair up to a ponytail. Kari got out of the bathroom in her short white shorts, lavender spaghetti strapped top and an elbow-length sleeved hoodie matched with a pair of slip-ons. She placed her camera around her neck.

Once they were ready, they headed out on their way to the gym.

The place started to crowd as watchers evacuated the bleachers. The players were inside the locker room, preparing for their second game. Everyone was on their best condition, hyped up for the game except for one who was all the while quiet and didn't show much enthusiasm.

"Yo, dude?" Takuya lightly punched Tk's arm as they were lining up. "You okay? You spaced out again."

The blonde didn't give much of a response but looked straight ahead, trying to focus himself. As they entered the huge doors to the court, the crowd roared.

"Head's up man. This is semi-finals," reminded Kouji while they settled on their bench. The Tigers were on the opposite side of the court getting ready. The announcer began his lines first before the start of the game.

"Gather around team," coach said out aloud. "Now listen. You win this game and you're in for the finals. The usual strategy and teamwork. No stalling and pass the ball to anyone open. Got it?"

The players all nodded.

"Falcons on three. One, two three.."

"FALCONS!" And the whistle was blown. The crowd cheered as the first five settled in the middle of the court. Kouji, Tk, Takuya, Ryuk and Ryo positioned themselves. The referee threw the ball up in the air but the Tigers got it. The game began and Kouji stole the ball from the opponent, passed it to Takuya who passed it to Tk. With a good three-point position before the hoop, he threw the ball but it missed.

By the end of the first quarter, the score was 27-22 in favor of the Tigers. Tk's performance was utterly surprising. Surprisingly lame. He scored only six points on the entire quarter and made three faults.

"Go after the score. Don't let them win this one. If they do, you've got one more game tomorrow. Get your heads in the game boys!" Coach raised his voice while the players drank water during the break. Then, the whistle blew again and the players went in.

"Hey kid," coach called up to Tk. "Sit down. You're up Ken." Ken jogged in the court for the game.

"What?!" Tk asked in disbelief. "Oh c'mon coach. You can't get a sub over me. Look at the score!" He tried to talk some sense to his coach while the second quarter started.

"I know. And you didn't even make half of them. Tell you what kid, you scored six points out of those twenty two. What the hell happened to you? And getting three fouls for the first quarter? Have you been thinking? Sit down."

"But coach," he ran his hand through his sweaty hair in exasperation. "It's semi finals. They need a shooting guard."

"They scored that much by themselves Tk. You did nothing out there but make a fool of yourself and ruin the game. Now sit your ass down and stop whining like a girl. I don't know what happened to you but you need to pull yourself together," he said while watching the game and ignoring the hot-tempered blonde as he sat on the bench. He wasn't used to this- sitting down helplessly while the others scored for the team. He wasn't used to just being a bench boy.

He watched as the game went on, letting the fire in his head mellow down. He spotted Kari on the bleachers taking pictures when coach's voice rang in his ear.

"It's her, isn't it?" Coach asked without averting his gaze to the young athlete and sighed. "That's life kid. It's part of growing up. But don't let it get to you."

Tk looked at the older man in an unknowing and helpless way before looking away again. All the while he was watching the game, and even while he was playing, he couldn't get her off his mind. He was the reason why something happened to her earlier, as what Kouji has told him. He hurt her and made her cry. He never meant nor wanted to see her so broken.

_You can't watch out for me Tk. Coz the only one hurting me around here is you._

Those were her words earlier that afternoon and it kept repeating through his head, making him lose concentration. It wasn't fair. She made him like it this in a middle of an important game. But he did commit a few mistakes which calls them both quits.

Literally… quits.

His thoughts were interrupted by the time his teammates returned, signaling the end of the second quarter. At that moment, he persuaded coach to let him in the third quarter and he agreed.

During the play, he managed to shoot a few scores but wasn't as convincing as his usual game. He still made fouls and at some point, lost concentration making him unaware of his actions. The score was already 58-65, still in favor of the Tigers. Tk was able to shoot a 3-point before the final whistle blew, ending the third quarter.

"You need more points boys. And please," coach stressed his tone, feeling tired of repeating the same thing over and over again. "There's no I in team. You Tk, how many times have Ryo been open and you didn't give him the damn ball when you were being mauled?! Three times!"

The blonde looked at Ryo in a brief second with narrowed eyes and walked out from the rest without finishing what coach has to say. He went back to the locker room, searched for a sink and washed his face. He's getting a load of shit for a while now. Plus, he's making their already losing game a hell of a disaster. Obviously, they already lost this game and just sat there in the locker room, waiting for the game to finish. Feeling weak and powerless. Unable to think straight and do something right.

When the gym was cleared and the watchers emptied the bleachers, the players all went back inside the locker room, looking gloomy and forfeited. Coach talked sense to them in a high pitched voice before storming out, leaving the players in adversity.

"C'mon guys. Tomorrow, let's have our counterplay. We're not going home losers. So you all better be on your best condition," their team captain said and left.

"Hey man," Kouji sat beside Tk. "You gotta get yourself together. Don't beat yourself up. She's not your girlfriend."

**- - -**

**©ancercute copyright**

**- - -**

**(a/n)**

**Review! I hope it was worth it for you guys. I couldn't thank you enough for all those encourage words you've given me. To all those who stuck up with me through the end (although it isn't the end yet). It made me stronger and more motivated to continue writing. THANK YOU very much! **

**And before I forget, SPECIAL METION & THANKS to **Pearlshipper 17** for being the LUCKY 100****th**** reviewer! I hope to expect more reviews..**

Vallant:** I really appreciate your recent review and it actually touched me on how you said **_"__I love it to pieces, and it's one of the best Takari's, or in fact, romance fics I've ever read on. This tale deserves to be written."_ **You're awesome! Thanks.**

jonholliday15:** Thank you for always sticking up to Intimacy!**

**See you on chapter 6teen, which, hopefully, wouldn't take as long as it took this!**


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

_By_

**©ancercute**

* * *

The cool Saturday breeze blew against a certain blonde while he jogged around the neighborhood listening to his ipod. He was wearing a grey sweatshirt and a pair of jersey shorts, looking determined to sweat things off his mind. While on most cases, he'd always like to sleep in late in the morning every Saturday but today was different. He recalled the last game they had in Tokyo, seeing a series of flashbacks during and after the play.

The deciding game between the Nagasaki Tigers and Odaiba Falcons ended in victory of the Falcons. Everyone went home with smiles in their faces and high spirits, especially the players who sweated their ass off to win the game. They finally made it semi-finals and looking back, their play-off was definitely good. But if he focused on himself that day, it didn't do justice to the word good.

His game was lame. The way he carried the ball and shoots it makes him look like a foolish amateur. It made him regret they way he acted.. but who wouldn't react like that? When at some point, the thing that made you happy is slipping away. And knowing that it was your fault makes you feel so damn stupid and pathetic, that you'd want to rewind everything and make it right.

Taking the earplugs from his ears, he stopped at the basketball court of their neighborhood. It was a simple cemented court with a single ring and small bleachers on the sides. He took a seat at the bottom row and wiped the sweat on his forehead. God he missed her. He missed everything about her. The way she smiled, the way she pouts, the way she narrows her eyes accusingly at him when he makes a joke. He badly wanted to touch her face again, smoother her, hold her tight and wrap his arms around her. He missed being at her side, looking out for her, everything he did for her. It felt all so heart-breaking that he covered his face with his palms and let out a helpless sigh. What can he do? She wouldn't even give him a chance to explain, let alone talk to him. Maybe the best thing to do now is just give her time and space. Maybe later, at a certain point, everything would turn out alright. All he could do now is just hope.

"Hey man. You're up early. What's the catch?" Kouji said out aloud while coming towards Tk, surprised to see the blonde at the court on a Saturday morning.

"Nah. Got nothin' to do. You, what's up?"

"I'm meeting Zoe in a couple minutes at Starbucks," he replied as he sat beside him. "So what's up with you and Kari?"

Tk groaned and rubbed his face with his palms.

"Man I don't know. I did something stupid okay. No, wait. I didn't do it. Karyl did," he stopped for a while before going on. "That girl's a bitch dude. She comes in my room after I take a shower and goes all Megan Fox at me, trying to seduce me or something. I think she's still into me.. and here comes Kari, entering the room and seeing both of us topless."

"Woah. Messed up."

"I know. And now she won't talk to me."

"Don't worry. She'll come around.. probably," Kouji added with a smirk and a laugh.

"Hey don't make me look like a fool," Tk added with a laugh too. "Man I just can't stop thinking about her, y'know."

Kouji sighed. "Talk to her when she's ready."

"And this is coming from you?" he asked jokingly.

"I'm a pro Takaishi," Kouji smirked.

******•**-•-•

_Sometimes it's wrong to walk away, though you think it's over__  
__Knowing there's so much more to say__  
__Suddenly the moment's gone__  
__And all your dreams are upside down__  
__And you just wanna change the way the world goes round_

The next week in school was how Tk expected it to be – a cold shoulder from Kari. In their English class together – in which they were both seatmates, she didn't utter a single word to him nor look at him. At the hallways, when their eyes would accidentally meet, hers were distant and cold and she'd turn away from him without so much of an emotion. It was as if they never knew each other, like he was just a familiar stranger from the vague past she'd forgotten… or at least tried to forget.

"Should I keep it going? The cold shoulder thing?" Kari asked her best friend while walking around campus. "I mean, maybe I'm too harsh. Or maybe I'll start over fresh and clean. Like history never happened and I'm the normal school paper photographer and he's the famous MVP in basketball. And that's that."

"Hmm, if that's what you want. But really, are you okay with all this? I mean really okay?" Z questioned with concern.

"I'm fine with it. No need for tears. History's done. Like, what's there to cry about? I'm no damsel in distress. I'm not gonna be one of those pathetic girls."

"Alright then. Your choice."

"Hey. You go ahead later. I'm gonna be working late. Looks like I have another assigned sport to get pictures of. The soccer team," she made weird funny faces as she mentioned soccer team.

"Oohh. Good luck with that," Z winked and waved her hand before they parted ways. "Later."

In high school, always expect that nothing would go absolutely right. Things will just happen, even if you want it to or not. You'd meet people who are just about as messed up as you are and who are also in the middle of struggling and surviving. And in high school, we all experience failure.. in whatever different category. Because sometimes, we don't have to get through and conquer all of the downs of life.. Often times, all we need to do is survive and keep up.

She sighed as she made her way to her locker before going to Biology class. No matter how hard she tried and forced herself to look so nonchalant and indifferent about everything, she still couldn't get him off her mind. Why did this even happen to her? What did she do to deserve the hurt? Everytime she sees him or hears her name, there's a painful flutter in her heart. Like her chest tightens and all she could do is just look away, avoid the cause of her hurt and pain. That's all she can do anyway – dodge the heartache, keep herself away from those things that lead her to a silent breakdown. All throughout the vain attempts of getting over him, it only made her long for him more. Because she just truly simply cannot get over him.

Opening her locker, she took a scrunchy and tied her rich chocolate caramel hair into a ponytail. When she stared at the mirror, surprise ran across her expression at who she saw on the reflection behind her. It was him, gazing at her from far behind with those blue longing wistful eyes. For a moment there, they were both lost at each other's stares. Clouded mind and undefined emotions. She couldn't tear their locked gazes apart because for some reason, there was something in him that was holding her. It didn't make sense really.. because all she knows is that they were his eyes focusing on hers.

"Hey Kari," a voice broke their stance when Ryo came up to her. She instantly looked away from the mirror and greeted Ryo, getting her Biology book.

"Oh hi," she smiled.

"So, how've you been? You know.. Coz of that? I just wanna, well, look out for you."

"Uhm. I'm doing great, really." She reassured and brushed away her bangs like the typical teenage girl would do.. as she tried to get rid from her mind the awkward staring incident a while ago. "And thanks for asking. I appreciate that."

"You're welcome," he smiled. "So, you're going to Biology class?"

She nodded.

"C'mon, it's my next class too." As they walked to the designated classroom, she couldn't help but look back and search for that certain blonde. She spotted Tk on his back, going the opposite direction of the hallway, head down as his hand ran through his hair in an unexplainable feeling of anxiousness.

For some reason, from all the misery and wounds, all she wanted was to be indifferent and not give a damn about any of those – anything with regards to him. But somehow, she just can't help but care.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Kari went to the Student Building and got her camera, put it into her bag and headed out to accomplish her assignment. Just as she descended down the small stairs on her way, she accidentally bumped her shoulders with Karyl's.

"Uh. Sorry," she apologized and continued walking.

"What? Sorry?" Karyl repeated in a harsh sarcastic tone as she turned to face Kari's back. The other brunette stopped her tracks and looked at her org member. It wasn't the usual confrontation, but Kari was a little too surprised of her reactions. Of all the crap she was having right now- which she never wanted to deal with and just wanted to forget about it- dealing with Karyl's attitude towards her was the last thing she wanted to happen. All she was raised to do taught her to just walk away and avoid the unnecessary fights. But at that certain point, she ticked her off.

"Yeah. I said sorry. Does that bother you?" Kari replied in the same tone raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry doesn't even cover up the whole charade you did with my boyfriend," Karyl crossed her arms in front of her chest, throwing Kari daggers of death glares.

"Hello?! What century are you living in? Last time I checked, you were broken up before I even started hanging out with him."

"Understatement much. You were flirting with him bitch," she raised her voice in anger. "Little miss innocent slut just couldn't help but glue herself to him. Just like any other whore would do!"

Kari was in disbelief at the words she was hearing as rage suddenly came burning upon her. "You just didn't call me that," she tried restraining herself.

"Oh I just did. Why? No one ever said that to you? Well, welcome to the real world honey. You better keep your distance from him unless you want to label yourself a bitch."

Before she can say more, Kari slapped her on the cheek so hard that it turned crimson.

"Ugh, you bitch," Karyl grabbed onto Kari's hair and pulled it out, starting an unpleasant scene just outside the Student building. They were slapping at each other, pulling each other's hair, pushing and grabbing on to their shirts.

"Get your filthy hands off me," Kari screamed pulling Karyl's long wavy hair and pushing her face.

"Well you shouldn't have slapped me you lame ass hoe," Karyl spat, pulling Kari's shirt and pushing her around.

"Hey! What's going on here?" Ryo interrupted pulling his restless cousin away from Kari.

"That bitch slapped me!" she said struggling from his hold to attack Kari.

"I wouldn't have done that if you shut your mouth in the first place," Kari retorted back, fixing herself.

"What the--. What happened here?" Tk suddenly came from nowhere, getting in between the two brunettes.

"Oh, what a coincidence," Kari mocked in front of the blonde. "Well, your girlfriend here was attacking me, telling me how much of a whore I was for clinging onto you. So guess what I think, maybe you two should fix your stupid problem before involving me. I don't know what the hell you two psychos have been, but for god's sake leave me out of this. Jeez, get a life."

She picked up her bag and turned her back on them.

"Wait," Tk grabbed her wrist in instinct. "I'm sorry. Kari-"

"Yes Tk. I know you are," she cut him off, without much of a glance at his direction and pulled her wrist from his hold. "I've heard that a thousand times," she added and walked away.

_Tell me, have you ever loved and lost somebody__  
__Wished there was a chance to say I'm sorry__  
__Can't you see, that's the way I feel about you and me, Baby__  
__Have you ever felt your heart was breaking__  
__Looking down the road you should be taking__  
__I should know, coz I loved and lost the day I let you go_

Trying to restrain the tears that were about to fall, she clutched her bag and took her camera, placing it around her neck. This wasn't the right time to breakdown again. To show herself how vulnerable she's becoming. To let her emotions dominate the other important things that matter. This isn't how things should go. She needed to be strong – even in the simplest way of being able to see him every single day and dealing with it. It only takes a few fake smiles and laugh – and maybe even a few lies - to make it through the day.

And at that precise moment, a thought occurred to her. She was lying to herself. Remembering her conversation with Zoe earlier, she thought she can just go on with the present or start over again – like history never happened. But no, she can't. Because what happened then will always happen in the past. It won't just go away by itself, disappear and never come back. She wouldn't be where she is now without the past. Though how much it hurts, it's never gonna get lost in the agenda. It's always gonna be there – the pain, the hurt, the past – it will be forever in her memory, haunting her, and it's the only thing that will make her a braver person. It's that scar in her memories, a stinging reminder of what made her strong and independent. Of who she could be. Of who she's gonna be.

Getting rid of the thought, she straightened her back and put on a smile when she stepped in the entrance of the soccer field. The players were in the middle of a game when she arrived. She took a seat in one of the bleachers and took a couple shots of pictures while waiting for them to finish up.

As she watched the game, she noticed Daisuke waving at her from the field and she returned a pleasant smile. Giving a thought about it, she never really knew him even though he courted her once. She never got the chance or took the opportunity rather of knowing who he is and what's he like on the inside. She never also gave both of them a chance of being friends. But if she did, it might end badly… taking for example how things ended up with---.

She brushed the thought away. In any case, there's no need to compare him with the _other one_. Surely they're both different type of person.

After a few minutes, the game ended and she carefully got down from the bleachers. Like the usual thing, she asked the coach for permission to take a picture of the whole team. Granted, it didn't take long to finish up her assignment. After taking a couple of shots, she gave her gratitude and hurriedly but carefully fixed her things as it was getting darker.

"Ei Kari! Long time no talk," Daisuke came up to her cheerfully, now in a clean state after an hour's sweaty game.

"Yeah, I know," she smiled. "I'm in a hurry though. It's getting dark and I've to be home soon—"

"Hey. Relax. I'll walk you home. It's no big deal," he offered.

"Really?" she asked in surprise. "Thanks."

"Sure. You're ready to go?"

"Uh huh." She took her bag and slung it to her shoulders.

"At least it's a good thing you know. We get to catch up with each other. Haven't been in touch with you for a while now," Daisuke started as they walked to the school grounds.

"So true. How've you been lately?"

"I'm fine. Same old, same old. Soccer. School.. yeah.. Bout you?"

"Oh. Me. Well, dealing with stuff. Not really good stuff but I'm keeping up."

"Hmm. Cryptic. Blurry," he joked with a light laugh. "What kind of person understands that answer?" The air between them felt light, comfortable and friendly.

"Uh," she made an expression of disbelief. "Not a dumb one for sure." She laughed.

"Ouch," he grimaced.

"Hey I'm kidding," she laughed too. They passed by the gym and noticed that the lights were still on, and the sound of basketball balls being dribbled could be heard. They both looked at the direction but Kari quickly averted her gaze forward.

"You're with that Tk dude right? Last I've heard," he casually opened up.

"Huh? What? No. I'm not with him, never was. We're not even friends.. that was a long time ago." He noticed the way she stuttered and how defensive she suddenly got. There was a tone in her voice that made it seem like it was something she didn't want to bring up. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Ooh. Sorry about that," he apologized.

"It's okay," she returned her smile. They were outside the school now, on their way to Kari's place.

"Well, it's nice really spending time with you. We never actually did this before, but it's good. I like it," he tried to lighten up the mood as they walked. Kari knitted her eyebrows and looked at him, but quickly turned away.

"Ooh. Well.. I.." she struggled for words, not knowing how to respond with the comment he made.

"Oh wait. No no no," Daisuke waved his hands in front of her. "Not like that. Not what you think.. Don't get me wrong. What I mean is not like how.. you know.. how I viewed you before. Not that I don't like you now.. But, not the same as before. Ugh, get it?" He knitted his eyebrows too as if he was making her understand what he's trying to say. "Do you get what I mean?"

Kari made an O shape with her lips in comprehension. "I get it. You're not into me anymore but you like spending time with me."

"Yes. That's it. And don't worry. I know. No expectations or anything yada yada yada," he laughed and she laughed too. "We're friends."

That surprised her in a good way. "Yeah," she slowly replied. "Yes. We're friends."

She smiled to herself. It felt good to have a guy friend for once and never worry about how he'll fall for you because he already made it clear that it's not gonna happen. She felt relieved that Daisuke thought them as friends no matter what she did before. How she never really cared much about him before when he was still courting her. It shed a light to her that he's actually a good person. She told herself that she won't mess up the friendship he offered.

They had a long conversation before reaching Kari's house. Both of them laughed, shared the things they experienced and even confessed what they thought before of each other.

"Thanks for bringing me home," Kari said.

"Sure thing. For a dumb person, I'm pretty nice," he bragged. "I'm never going to forget that comment about me being dumb."

"I said I was kidding," she laughed. "But really, thanks."

"Yeah yeah yeah. You're still not nice," he stuck his tongue out childishly.

"Ugh. Whatever," she rolled her eyes and let out another laugh. "Good night." She turned the knob of the front door.

"Haha. Okay, good night." With that, Daisuke left and Kari came inside her quiet home. Tai wasn't there anymore since he left for school and break was over. Plus, her parents won't be there for another two weeks so she was for now, alone.

******•**-•-•

_It's just you and me and there's no one around__  
__I feel like I'm hanging by a thread, it's a long way down__  
__I've been trying to breathe, but I'm fighting for air__  
__I'm at an all time low with no place to go_

She was curled up on the couch, just finished her last homework and was about to turn on the TV when she heard a knock on the door. Looking to see who it was visiting her at this hour on the evening made her curious. And curiosity was the last thing she felt when she came face to face with the person standing at the foot of her door.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" she tried to sound casual and cool… which was an epic fail.

"Can we talk?" he asked in a serious tone, blue eyes longing for a chance and expression showing nothing but regret.

Kari swallowed the lump in her throat and walked passed him to the porch, leaning against the post by the stairs. "Yeah, I've got time. What do want to talk about?" She wanted to sound nonchalant about this, like it wasn't a big deal.. so that she can keep herself from the drama and the weakness.. and crying in front of him. Because honestly, she just can't take it anymore. She was so fed up, tired of all the tears.

"Us. This. Everything," he gestured with his hands. "I'm really really sorry, especially earlier—"

"Tk," she cut him off. The sound of his name coming from her mouth made her heart pound so hard. "You've been apologizing a hundred times and I hear you okay. The more you do it, the more it becomes annoying."

"Yeah, but I did really stupid things and—"

"Yes, I know how much you're sorry. How much you want to take it all back. How much you want things to go back to normal.. But in the end, it all hurts just the same. And would it even change everything?" she voiced out in a reasonable tone.

"Listen," she added. "All of this, right now, is so messed up. And I need time to deal with it, okay? Alone."

He looked away. "I know Karyl got between us, and I'm not letting that stop me Kari."

She knitted her eyebrows. He was unbelievable. "God Tk. You think this is all because of her? No, it's not just her, but you too. And there was no us. We were just two friends hanging out, who got carried away with all the intimate jokes. Face it, we were only fooling around."

"Joking? Fooling around? What made you think that Kari? You thought I was the typical jock who'd go from girl to girl breaking their hearts?"

"Apparently, yes. You can't just leave things hanging with Karyl and jump to the next girl you see. You've got things to settle with her, don't you get that? Things that I don't have any clue of. And here I come in the picture, adding up to your problems. It's your problem Tk, not mine. You dragged me into this and I fell in it with you. I don't want Karyl hating me because of something I didn't do."

"What I had with Karyl was over Kari, you know that."

"I thought so too, but it's not. Apparently, not to her. Why would she come attacking me? Talk to her. Don't make me your reason or excuse not to."

He ran his hand through his hair in defeat and exasperation. "She's not important to us," he reasoned in a lighter voice while stepping closer to her.

"What? Why are you being so difficult?" she argued. "I'm already giving you time and space… which we both need."

"You're the one who's making it difficult Kari. You've been ignoring me, never let me explain things to you. Don't you get it?" he raised his voice as he tried to be persuasive. He grabbed her by the shoulders and gave the kind of look in his eyes that were so passionately sincere – the look of wanting things to be alright. "I love you."

And with that, everything stopped. She was in deliberate shock that it was as if the whole world stopped turning and all she felt was disbelief and confusion. She couldn't look at him because she knows she'd suffer incoherency. Her chest was thudding so insanely fast because what he said caught her entirely off guard. It was far from what she'd expect him to say.

Tk added, "I never told you that before because I was scared, Kari. Because I'd be letting myself become defenselessly susceptible to you. And I was scared because I know you're the only one who's able to really break my heart."

It was all so much to take in one night. Reality came crashing down to her all in one time.

"No. No, you don't. You only said that because you're guilty, because you'd make me the reason not to fix your problem," she disagreed to the confession he made.. And by just doing that, she was already feeling weak. She was on the verge of crying, but she kept herself from breaking her voice. "I'm not a substitute for that empty space in your heart Tk. Your feelings alone aren't the only things important. I have feelings too, just so you know." She bit her lip to keep her from unwanted reactions.

"I'm guessing you don't believe me," he concluded in a disappointed tone, so sad and rejected. He came closer and filled in the space between them, dropping down his hands to her arms, gently touching and rubbing them. He lost all hopes of having her again.

"No," she whispered, hiding the lump in her throat which might make her voice crack. "I don't."

Hearing her response, he wasted no time and did what instinct told him to do. He crashed his lips on hers, right then and there. He kissed her passionately with so much unsaid emotions, aching want and need. He strongly pressed his lips into hers, moved against it in such a way that it seemed time was running out, like there was only a few moments where he can feel this alive and happy again.

And much to his surprise, she responded back, mirroring his actions and the intensity both of them felt right now. She was lost again, indulged into the beautiful sensation of feeling his lips dancing with hers. He cupped her face with both his hands and continued to kiss her. Both their hearts were hammering in a vibrant rhythmic movement as the kiss prolonged for they knew they haven't have so much time left. They know at some point, this will end soon and the sand in the time glass would be running out fast.

God, they both know they missed this. The softness of her lips, and the way he moved it against hers. It was heaven.. like an epic story that at any minute would come to an end. Their hungry lips plunged into each other's, savoring every moment of pleasure not wanting to be left hanging. Without any coherent thought, Tk slipped his tongue into Kari's gradually opening mouth without so much hesitation. Her arms slowly climbed up, locking them around his neck while his got down to his waist, pulling her closer to his chest. Tongues to tongues. Chest to chest. The heat of their bodies came in contact as their tongues battled in an unending kiss.

Tk's lips traveled away from hers, skimming it to her neck, inhaling her scent and planting soft kisses. She closed her eyes and nodded her head down, unlocking her arms from his neck and bringing it to his waist. Slowly, she pushed him away to put a little space between them.

Deliberately, Kari took his hands from her waist and looked away, never bothered to face him. Tk took a step back and waited for her to say something.

"I.. I can't do this. I'm sorry. Please leave," her voice now cracked and without a moment's hesitation, she walked pass him to the door, leaving a foolish Tk to himself, standing in solicitude on the porch. Once she was inside, she fell into pieces in a split of second and tears spontaneously burst out, streaming down her cheeks.

_Everybody needs inspiration_

_Everybody needs a song_

_A beautiful melody when the night's so long_

_Cause there's no guarantee that this life is easy _

She cried yet again, and held her broken self together, trying to get a grip as she pressed her back against the door, and crumbled down in a sitting position. It wasn't supposed to be with this way. This shouldn't have happened. It was becoming more and more difficult to breathe. She covered her mouth to prevent herself from making her sobs louder. She was better than this, stronger than this. She promised herself that.

But what? But him. He always made things difficult to process. He always thought he can make things better. But he just can't. And now, look at where it brought her – down on her feet, sobbing and grasping for air to breathe. She can feel the wound opening again and it hurts. There's no more fancy words to describe what she felt but at its simplicity, it just hurts like hell. She thought she can act casual and not give a damn about it, but no, Karyl was right. This is reality – a place where happiness can't be guaranteed and pain will always be around. The statement "everything will be okay" is too cliché. It's not comforting enough anymore.

As she mellowed down a bit, she wrapped her arms around herself and hugged her knees.

She hated to admit it but they had something in common. They were both hurt by the same guy. And now, she didn't know who she could hate more – Tk or Karyl.

She leaned her head to the door and stared up to the ceiling, tears still falling down her smooth pale skin. Remembering their encounter a while ago, she had to confess, that kiss was beyond the literal meaning of amazing. To its extent, it was wonderfully amazing, like bright colorful fireworks on a night sky with music.

But… there was always something negative about everything. After that beautiful moment, why'd she suddenly crumble down?

_Yeah, when my world is falling apart_

_When there's no light to break up the dark_

_That's when I look at you _

Her phone suddenly rings at an incoming call. It took all of her to stand up and grab her phone on the table. _Ryo calling…_

She pressed the green button and put the phone on her ear. She wiped her tears and took a huge breathe. "Hello."

"_Hey. Uhm. Open your front door."_

"Huh? Why?"

"_Just do it. It's not gonna hurt. I promise."_

She carefully did what he told her. When she opened the door, Ryo was standing there, smiling with his phone on his ear and a bucket of ice cream on the other hand.

"I kinda saw what happened earlier.. but I didn't intentionally want to see it.. So I brought ice cream if it makes you feel any better," he smirked, trying to lighten the mood.

They both put their phones down and the brunette let the guy in.

"You didn't have to, you know." She took the ice cream and put some in two cups, handing one to Ryo. She plopped down beside him in the couch.

They talked for a while, laughed, shared jokes, etc. It wasn't really an expected kind of comforting session but at least it made her not think about _him_ for a while.

"Hey. I wanna show you something. You think you're up for it?" Ryo asked. "It's not yet that late."

Kari looked at the clock. 9:23. "Uhm, I guess. How long would it take?"

"Not long. C'mon," he got up. "Grab your jacket." She did what he told him and they both went out the door. His car was parked just beside the road.

"Are we going somewhere?"

"Yeah, but it's just near. Don't worry," he smiled and got in the car. When they were inside, he started the engine and sped off.

Kari was in a bit of surprise when they arrived at the place. There were a lot of teenagers their age, some were a few years older than them. There were a lot of guys in leather jackets, girls all wearing shorts or miniskirts, and cars… fast cars.

"You race?" she asked in amazement. He nodded in response and parked his car.

"Since when?" They both got out of the vehicle. The night was indeed chilly and good thing he told her to bring her jacket. But it didn't do justice with the short shorts she was wearing.

"Since this year," he answered her question as some of his friends came near him.

"Hey man," one greeted him.

"Yo dude," another one said. "Who's the girl?"

"Just a friend." And out of the blue, Kari heard her name from her back.

"Kari! What are you doing here?"

The brunette turned her back and surprisingly found Zoe. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here?"

"I'm with my cousin. He races. I just found this place a week ago. Who're you with here?"

Kari motioned with her head to Ryo's direction and saw Zoe's weird expression. The blonde lifted an eyebrow to her best friend.

"I'll explain later," she said.

"So Kari, do you wanna ride? I'm gonna race," Ryo interrupted.

"Uhmm.. I don't know." She looked uneasy. Hell, it was her first time here. She didn't even know this place existed here.

"Chill, it's not gonna be dangerous. Promise."

"Hmm. I guess so.. But are you sure?" She asked for assurance.

"Of course I'm sure. C'mon," he motioned in his car.

"Okay..? I'll catch you later Z," Kari smiled at her best friend before getting in the car.

"I'm still in shock you know," she told Ryo as he started the engine and drove to the starting line. "It's not like everyday I discover a place like this even stands in here. Isn't this illegal?"

"Yeah it is," he answered confidently.

"And you're okay with it?" she asked in nervous bewilderment.

"Sure. There hasn't been an accident that happened.. not even once in the entire time people raced here." He looked at her with those determined grey eyes in excitement and confidence. "Hey, don't be nervous," he held her hands, securing her in guarantee that nothing's gonna go wrong. She stole a glance at his hands on hers, and in a split of second, she felt a weird vibe. But she quickly brushed that feeling away. "You're insulting my driving skills." He smirked.

She smiled an uneasy smile. "Okay."

"Now, put your seatbelt on and get ready for a wild ride," he leaned back to his seat, a hand on the steering wheel and the other on the shifting gear as he started to step on the gas pedal, making the vehicle roar. To his right was his opponent, also getting ready for the race.

A girl stepped in front of the track with her hands up in the air. 1, 2, 3… and GO!

Ryo zoomed in fast, pressing unto the gas pedal on its fullest, running a good hundred miles an hour. He was behind his opponent in a foot or so and steered right for a turn. He accelerated the engine and went in full speed, passing his opponent.

"Ohmygod! This is so fast," Kari was overwhelmed. She never felt this physically exhilarated ever in her life and for once, it felt good. She laughed both in amusement and excitement. "Faster. He's right behind us," she cheered as she looked back at their opponent. Ryo did a U-turn, returning back to the track for the finish.

The engine was hella loud and the adrenaline rush was amazing. She excitedly cheered as they came near the finish line. "C'mon. Faster! He's catching up."

And in a blink of an eye, they crossed the line. The crowd shouted and Ryo hit the brakes.

"Ohmygosh! That was so awesome," Kari smiled at Ryo and he returned the action.

"I know. I love the adrenaline rush and the feeling of victory," he breathed. With the words he let go, Kari remembered that particular line. It was the same thing Tk said when he described basketball. For a moment there, she got lost in her thoughts again.

"Hey, you okay?" Ryo interrupted. She blinked a few times and watched him.

"Oh yeah," she laughed. "We won!"

"Yeah," he was still out of breath. Then, a moment of silence dawned upon them.

Ryo got out of the car as more and more people came closer to congratulate him for the win. Kari also got out and moved out from the crowd, spotting Z a few feet away.

"Hey," she greeted Zoe who was leaning on a car.

"So, how was it? How's the ride?" she asked in excitement.

"Wild! It was really awesome. You should try it," she leaned her back on the car too.

Z laughed. "Now tell me. Why are you with him?" She crooked her lips and raised a perfect eyebrow.

The brunette rolled her eyes and told her the story about what happened on that afternoon with Karyl up to this point.

"Oh my god! You did that? I can't believe you!"

"I know. But she really ticked me off.."

"Not that. I mean with Tk.. You broke the little boy's heart, K," she put on a pity face.

"Whatever Z. We're not talking about that, are we?" she pushed the subject aside.

The blonde laughed. "Kidding K. Lighten up. So, what'd you think of Ryo over there?"

"Hmm. He's alright. He's been pretty nice lately."

"Do you think he's hot?" Z inquired with all her wickedness.

"What? Seriously Z?" Kari retorted in surprise.

"Why? I mean look at him.. He's tall, lean, has nice biceps, impressive hair."

"You're insane. I'm not into dating right now, okay? Not right after what happened with Tk," she explained. "Wait. Does Kouji even know you're here?"

"Uhm.. No. So you better keep it low. This is our dirty little secret K." She laughed.

"God Z. You're really funny." Kari saw Ryo wave at her, telling her to get back. "Uhm, I'm gonna get going now. See you tomorrow."

"Sure."

As Kari got in the car, Ryo started the engine.

"C'mon, I'm gonna get you home. It's late." He drove off to drop Kari at her place.

"Thanks. I mean it, really. It got my mind off things." She was truly grateful for the night. At least for break, she didn't have to cry herself to sleep.

"You're welcome. I'm guessing you wanna come with me sometime if I race?" he suggested.

"Hmm. We'll see."

After a few turns, they arrived at her place. He parked the car and stared at her with a look so intent and careful.

"Thanks for the ride Ryo. And the ice cream. I appreciate it." She smiled.

"Uhm Kari.." he started off in a serious tone, and a very different look from what he's been giving her lately. His stare was strong and thoughtful. Slowly, he lifted his hands and brushed her bangs from her face, tracing the side of her face with his finger before he pulled back.

"I really like you."

* * *

**©ancercute ©opyright**

**(a/n)**

**Guys, I'm really sorry for the late update. I know, it's been a month. But it has been really stressful and eventful. My family just came back on the last week of April from Florida and the Bahamas, plus there was a really bad incident involving my friends.. so I was just really distracted. But hey, I'm hoping ya'll love the chapter. So please Review! And tune in to the next chapter, which will all be about Tk. Sue me now for the very emotional chapter. Lol.**

**Songs featured:**

**Have You Ever** by S Club 7

**Me Without You **by Ashley Tisdale

**When I Look At You** by Miley Cyrus


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

_By_

**©ancercute**

* * *

_Isn't the night so cold?_

_Or it's just you?_

_I'm down and suffocated_

_And I don't know what to do_

He left her house with rejection written all over his face. He can't help himself but walk along the sideways carrying a broken heart and a shattered frown. And as he continued walking, he never made himself go home. It was the last place he wanted to be that night… Scenes of the earlier happening flooded his mind, making it harder and harder to get over with, or even let go. Another sigh escaped his lips for the hundredth time for nothing was making sense anymore.

The way he felt right now was so new and fresh. He never experienced this before and he didn't have a single damn clue on what to do. Maybe if he wasn't so shitlessly scared of admitting how he really felt before, none of this would have happened. Or maybe if he didn't act so stupid and fixed all those problems in the past, it wouldn't have come down to this. But it's too late for regrets now. What's done is done and all he could do was make a better ending.

He walked and walked. He continued to walk some more until he realized he was in a certain neighborhood where he doesn't usually hang out on these days. Clearly he wasn't thinking straight but something compelled him to walk up to the stairs of that certain very familiar house. He didn't know what he was doing but his feet dragged him there. The routine seemed recognizable though, as if he did this a couple of times before. And apparently for the most unnecessary reasons.

He knocked on the door and waited. What was he doing here? What's he gonna do when the door opens? What was he gonna say? Things are different now, unlike before when he was careless and not in love.

But the door did open.

When he saw Karyl, reality dawned to him and he came back into his senses.

"Tk?" She spoke his name in quiet surprise when she found the blonde on her doorstep.

He looked at her, watched her face. He tried to know why he came here or why his feet brought him here but he found no reasonable answers. All he can think of as he stared upon her face was that she caused every disaster that happened in his life. When he saw her, all he can think of was that she was the reason why Kari backed away. Why Kari pulled from his grasp, why she let out words he never wanted her to say to him, why she'd put that cold open space between them. The person he cared most about was avoiding him… and that simply hurt him.

"I.. I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was doing," he apologized and turned his back to walk away.

"Tk, wait," Karyl grabbed his arm to halt him to a stop. "Please."

He let out an aggravated sigh. "What? What do you want Karyl? I'm tired of dealing with all your crap," he spoke in an irritated way.

For the first time, Karyl looked so fragile. It was beyond different from her usual cold and bitchy attitude. Her face actually shows real emotions, nothing like what he'd seen before. She looked so torn up and broken. Tk was stunned, perfectly caught unaware of the intense unusual expression she showed.

"I need you. I want you," she begged as tears sprung from her eyes. "Please give us another chance."

"No. That's not gonna happen. Clearly you already made a shit out of my life," he explained in a less angry tone. He pushed her hands away from his as he saw her cry. "You know I don't want anything to do with you."

"Tk, please. I'm not over you, I can't," she persuaded with teary eyes and aching chest. "I know I messed up a lot of times but it was for us."

"For us?" he repeated in mad surprise. "You know what I want Karyl. We all know it's not you. Don't waste more of my time with your drama."

It pained her when Tk shouts or goes against her. Her sobs were so hard that it somehow showed she actually had a heart.

"I'm still in love with you," she admitted helplessly.

"But I'm not! Don't you get it? I am never gonna be with you," he explained in clear annoyance and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm not keeping up with this act Karyl."

He had about enough and turned to his back to leave the crying girl alone. He felt almost ashamed and sorry for doing so but he just can't linger any longer with what she's putting up.

"Please," she cried, watching him descend on the steps. "Tk, I'm pregnant."

•**-•-•**

_Maybe it's me_

_I'm tired of asking myself_

_Why can you still smile?_

_Even though you're hurting me_

The night was long… Endless… Dark... a little too confusing and distracting, and it kept him wide awake while lying on the same soft bed, staring blankly at the open space to the bare ceiling of his heavy room. It was indeed a sleepless night.

Over and over again, he tossed around. He shifted to his left, turned to his right, stayed straight on his back, plopped down to his belly.. everything. He did all the possible positions of lying on bed just to drift off in a peaceful slumber, which in all hopes was useless.

He tried to decipher the revelation he discovered earlier. He accused her of a liar after she told him she was pregnant. But what did she expect? That he was just gonna cup her in his arms and tell her it's gonna be okay? That he'll be there for her? No. He loathed the woman and wanted proof, that it wasn't just some of her deceits which he wished it was. Because god knows what it'll make out of his life.

He wasn't ready to be a father. Hell, he doesn't even want to have anything to do with the woman.

Thinking about the possibilities in the future made him restless. He couldn't shut down his brain. It was already 2am and nothing progressed, so he got up and went out of the house. Street lamps were on as he strolled down the side walk of the neighborhood. The best thing to do now was shoot some hoops in the court by the river.

This was the first time in his life that he felt such intensity of complex emotions. Never had he been affected by a girl that much to lead him into what he's in now. Plus, the stupidity of his actions before, reached to this level where he would have to know whether what Karyl said was true.

Most of the time, the truth makes us confused - unsure of the certainty in this world and doubtful of the words we hear. What happens in reality is, we all fail to really believe in the truth and would rather consider the lies because they aren't painful. Lies are meant to cover something wrong, something that hurts. That's why we lie to avoid the pain of the truth.. before we even realize that lies are just worse.

And yes, he doesn't know what to believe in anymore. Because Kari had already turned him down, and Karyl was there, presenting to him the consequence of his action.

Maybe what's best for now is just go with the flow, move with what's happening and simplify things.

_Do you think it would be better_

_If you act like you don't care_

_They say you're a hell lot stronger_

_Am I the one who'll cry again?_

The bell rang after the end of third period and the guys were heading out by the table near the parking lot to hang out on break period.

"You guys seen Tk today? Didn't see his ass the whole morning," Kouji joked, sitting on the table and taking a bit with his apple.

"Yeah, you're right. The douchebag's probably mending his fat broken heart," Takuya added. "You heard what happened with him and Kari?" he asked Ken.

"Yo guys, check it out," Kouji interrupted and motioned with his head Tk's ride, driving its way to the parking lot. "Wonder what he's been up to."

But before any of them can add to Kouji's thought, all their jaws dropped to the floor when they saw Tk close the door and Karyl get out of the passenger's seat. That was a pure moment of astonishment. An epic surprise

"What the fu—," muttered Takuya.

All three couldn't comprehend if what they saw was real or if it was the effect of alcohol they took last night. Or maybe their imagination was running low that they couldn't picture out a decent girl.

"Hey dudes. What's up?" Tk said to them, waving his hands across their eyes.

"Did we just see Karyl get out of your car?" Ken asked in confirmation.

The blonde nodded in affirmation, cautious if it might be a trick question.

"Fuck. Dude! Are you on drugs?" Takuya said out load.

"What are you doing with her man?" asked Kouji. "You hate her to the guts."

Tk sighed and took a seat beside Ken. "We went to the hospital okay. She said she's pregnant."

"Holy Shit!" cried Takuya. "And you believe her?"

"It's fuckin' true man!" Tk raised his voice and rubbed his face with his palms in exasperation. No one said a word for the moment. "I'm just not sure if I did it."

"Well, take a test," Kouji spoke.

"The hospital won't allow it. They need parent's permission. We're underage."

"Are you gonna tell them?" Ken asked.

"No.. not yet. I don't know when though… when the time's right."

"Shit man," Takuya commented. And that was all they need to say.

**-O-**

She closed her locker and found Zoe standing beside her when she turned to head to the Biology Lab. The blonde girl was about to open her mouth and ask something but Kari interjected immediately, silencing her with her finger.

"Yes, it's true. I saw it with my own eyes in the parking lot," she said, without a hint of jealousy, anger or disappointment in her voice nor her expression. Calm and composed, totally not a big deal. Because it just isn't. That's what she told or self, or at least chose to believe.

"So it wasn't a rumor," Zoe concluded, mostly to herself and wondered out loud why it happened. "I really don't understand what's happening to Tk now."

"Neither do I. And it's not our place to worry Z. He can handle himself… he always does." She walked away with a smile to her friend and entered the lab. "Coz I'm the one who can't," she whispered to herself.

_So please, take it all away this time_

_And hear me scream your name into the sky_

_Let me be, your fairytale your fantasy_

_But how can we have a happy ending_

_When the one you keep on believing is tearing us apart_

The moment she entered the lab, she sat to her usual place and waited for class to start. Without taking much attention to the person who sat next beside her, she continued to stare across the table the bucket of frogs they will be dissecting during the whole session. Although she knew how much she was grossed out by those kind of things, which led to her think why she took biology in the first place, she just could care less about it know. It's not as if the frog can hurt her anyway.

"Excited about dissecting them?"

The person beside her finally spoke and made her snap back to reality. She turned her gaze and was greeted with a lopsided grin by Ryo.

"Oh. It's you," she said, trying her best not to look occupied by her thought. "I don't know. I'm just disgusted about these things, but now, I couldn't seem to care."

"I'd be honored to be your lab partner then."

The class started after a while and each pair took a living, breathing, blinking frog for them to dissect. While Kari took the tools and dissecting pan, Ryo held on to the frog. They were pinning in down to the pan as it tried to move around and break free.

"This is so disturbing," spoke Kari.

The creature still moved around a lot and the two didn't notice that the pins which were nailed on the frog wore off. Simultaneously, it jumped to Kari's arm and she screamed in surprise.

"Ohmygosh! Get it off me! Ryo!" she panicked as she shook her arms violently causing the frog to hold on her tighter. "Eeew! Ryo, get it off!" She cried.

He couldn't get a grip of her arm since she moved a lot. But when he finally did, he took the animal from her arm. After he did, they both laughed at what happened with a little tears forming in the corner of her eyes in disgust. He playfully tried to toss the frog to her and she just punched or slapped him in the arm.

"Your face was hilarious Kari."

"Coz you didn't get it off me quickly." She said as they pinned the frog down again.

"What can I do? The frog likes you," he laughed.

"Whatever!" she replied back and they both laughed. Unknown to them, Tk saw the whole thing across the open door with a pang of jealousy etched on his face.

**-O-**

It was raining hard the whole afternoon after she had her last period. She was stuck in the Student Dept. Building after passing some photos to her editor-in-chief. She forgot to bring her umbrella since she usually just walks from home to school. And by just observing the sky at that moment, she knew it wouldn't stop soon. She waited and hoped that somehow the rain would ease but it didn't. No one was left in the building and her phone was dead so she couldn't ask anybody for a ride home.

She sighed. It's been twenty minutes since she started waiting for the rain to stop and nothing happened. She has been staring at the heavy fall of droplets of water from the sky. Anytime, it would be growing darker. So she decided what she's gonna do. She descended down the stairs and ran.

Carefully but fast, she ran from the building to the school's main gate. She ran across the street to the sidewalks under the forceful rain. She was wet, soaked, and cold but she continued.

She was already on the corner of the block of their house and she was thankful. A little more distance and she could make it now. As she reached halfway, she noticed the headlights of a car coming toward her direction from behind. It stopped beside her and she halted too, wondering whose car it could be. But without even taking a second, she knew it was his.

He got out, drenching himself in the pouring rain and walked up to her.

_How could you look into my eyes ignoring these tears_

_How I wish I could whisper it in your ears_

_Tell me I'm worth the fight_

_You know I'm bleeding inside_

"Get inside. I'll take you home," Tk said, looking down at her wet, shivering form. Her lips were dry, grey and her hazel eyes sparkled from the grayness of the weather.

She peeped over his shoulders and noticed Karyl on the passenger's seat. That was when the droplets of rain felt like ice. Like it was hailing instead of raining, that every drop hurts her skin so bad.

She smiled a bitter smile to herself. Who was he kidding? "No, it's okay. I'm almost there. And besides, you need to take Karyl home."

"But—"

"I told you, time and space, remember?" She smiled at him, the kind of smile that hurt the muscles of her lips, the kind of action she does in painful effort.

"Thanks anyway." She turned and left him, without waiting for him to say a word. But before she go any further, he grabbed her wrist and whirled her to face him, crashed his lips instantly unto her cold ones, making fire and heat in a swirling emotion of longing. Want. And most of all, need.

She pulled away and looked at him accusingly with terrified eyes. "Don't."

With that, she ran away. Away from him, still under the cold merciless rain, and into the direction of her home.

He went back inside his car, frustrated and hopeless.

"What was the kiss about? I thought you said you were going to take care of us, of this," Karyl moved her hand to her tummy.

"I said I was going to take care of the problem I made. It doesn't mean I love you."

Kari reached her house and quickly opened the door with her quivering hands. She went directly to the bathroom of her room to change her clothes, and when she took off her top and faced the mirror, she saw the necklace he gave her at the night of the ball. The one with two hearts clinging onto each other.

Did he see this on her a while ago?

That was when it got to her. She couldn't look away. She was still facing the mirror, gazing at the thing hanging around her neck. She bit her lips, tried to fight the feeling, tried not to feel anything. But she just couldn't. And there were tears all over again.

How many times does he have to hurt him? How many times does she need to cry until she ran out of tears? How much more pain does she have to endure? How many more fake strong faces does she have to put up front?

Because she tired. Tired of it all.

The only strength she found within her was the strength to walk away from him. Because she just did. And she knows he already walked away from her too the moment he broke her heart. The moment he let her go in the most painful way she ever imagined. Maybe the bond between them was never that strong and they just needed to let go. Maybe that thing between them wasn't stable enough to hold on with the other. And maybe it's just how everything was supposed to go.

With all her strength, she took off the necklace and placed it on her table when she got out of the bathroom. The weak feeling in her chest was back again and she crawled under her comforter on the bed. It was all too much. The hurt, the pain, the tears, they all never go away.

And that was what she was trying to do, escape the one thing that made her completely happy and unbearably hurt all at the same time. Tk Takaishi.

**©ancercute ©opyright**

**(a/n)**

**Hello guys! First of all, my apologies. It's been ages since I've written and I know how much you've been waiting for me to update but college ate all my time. I'm really sorry. You don't know how badly I miss being an author, being there to create stories for guys and receiving reviews. I miss everything that revolves around fanfiction. But my life in reality is just keeping me on hold. But I'm here now and it's gonna take again a while for me to update. I'm really sorry for the short chapter but that's all I can come up now with Tk and Kari's relationship. I'm determined to finish this fic, though I don't know when. I hope you guys will always be there for me, support me as an author, send me reviews that will inspire me to go on and just continue to read my fics. I know I've been missing a lot of your expectations but I sincerely ask for your apologies. **

**Again, do review guys. It means A LOT to me. Thank you so much guys for sticking with me. I hope you will still be there at the end of this story.**

**I'll see you in the next installment of Intimacy.**

**Song in the chapter: **Love Vs Pride by The Last Minute Band

**P.S. you won't be able to hear the song or download it anywhere since my classmates composed that and they never recorded it. But I'll tell you, it's awesome!**


	18. Chapter 18

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

**CHAPTER 18**

_By_

©ancercute

¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤-•-¤

It's been a week in school and she never came across a text, e-mail, a smile or any sign that could possibly make her believe that he still thought of her. The whole week has been torture – a rip-out-her-heart-and-stab-an-open-wound kind of pain that cursed through her body. Because what's more painful than the scene she caught Tk and Karyl in, was the sight of the two coming to school together, and she's been seeing it with her own eyes in the past couple of days. It did her more emotional damage than reminiscing the memory of what used to be.

She hated how she felt. She hated how pathetic she was because deep down inside, he still affected her. Everything he does affects her. And as much as she hates to admit it, she was still in love with him and it made all the drama more painful because she can never ever get over him.

Her thoughts travelled far away as she sat there on the swing, gently rocking herself to and fro in lithe movements. The park was just three blocks away from her place and it was the best place to think. And since it was a Monday afternoon, the park was clear as day. At least it gave her a few amount of time to actually sort out all these emotional turmoil going on.

She heaved out a long and heavy sigh.

"Kari?"

The voice alone made her heart stop. It was the voice she knew too well, the one that haunted her dreams, the only sound that soothed and at the same time stressed her to her limits. She didn't dare turn around to face him because if she did, all rationality would jump out the window.

"Can I sit?"

She didn't even say a word but he let himself sit down the swing beside her, but he faced the opposite direction. She couldn't bring herself to look at him because his mere presence alone made her heart swell in all corners.

"I know I'm the last person you ever want to see again but I need to explain. Please hear me out. I just want at least a minute of your time, Kari," he started softly with almost a tone of desperation.

When she didn't reply, he took it as a sign to continue everything he had to say. Truthfully, she was just exhausted. Really really exhausted of all the hurt, the drama, the feelings. She just wanted to breathe clear fresh air and leave all the stress, put it all behind her back and move on. But could she really?

"Kari…" he sighed heavily before starting. "I messed up really really bad. I know that, and I wish everyday I could just go back and undo all the stupidity I've done.. but I couldn't and everything's catching up to me now." He started to become ashamed of what he was about to say next. "I was dating Karyl before I met you. I thought I was in love with her. At first we really had a good time hanging out together – she'd teach me how to have fun and laugh, and well, yeah, she… she made me use her to let out steam." He now covered his face with his palms out of embarrassment.

"But later on, she became clingy and bitchy. She complained a lot, asked for things I couldn't give her. She hated that I'm always on training, she said I didn't give her enough time but in truth, I invested my attention on her when I wasn't dealing with basketball. And it came up to a point when I was really fed up with all the crap she gave me so I broke it off with her. She didn't take it too well but I moved on. And then I met you.." A smile lit on his face when he talked.

"I saw you up there in the bleachers in the gym, and I couldn't take my eyes off you. You were so concentrated that your eyebrows knit in the kind of way that made you look so cute and I couldn't help it. When I knew my brother was going over to your place to hang with Tai, I took that opportunity. I wanted to know you. I wanted to be your friend… I don't know why but there was something about you when I saw you there in the gym. After everything, all the time we spent together hanging out, it was like seeing you for the first time. You lit up my world. It made basketball more meaningful for me… there came a purpose to why I was playing. And everytime you're up there in the bleachers during a game, I couldn't help but feel like there's somebody who actually cared – who cared with what I do, who supported me with what I love. And everytime you wait for me after a game, there's no one else I wanted to go home to. You're my home Kari. Ever since I met you, I was just so… happy. Everything was at place, peaceful, fine. And when I looked at you in the passenger's seat of my car, all dripping wet from the time we messed around under the rain, you were sparkling… so beautiful and bright. At that moment, I realized.. it wasn't something about you. It was everything about you. For the first time, I felt something I never did before. I fell in love."

"Kari, you mean the world to me. And I couldn't forgive myself knowing that at some point, I hurt you. I'm the reason you're feeling all these kind of pain and I wish I could just take you away from it all. But it's my fault you're feeling this way. It's my stupidity that put you through this. Karyl's pregnant and it's all my fault. As much as I don't want to, I have to be there for her, for the baby. I messed this up and I have to face my responsibilities. I'm really really sorry Kari."

His confessions struck her more than she expected. She never thought he'd tell her all these things because in the first place, she never expected anything from him. She never expected him to fall in love with her as hard as she did for him. He never expected him to becoming his friend in the first place. He never expected him to kiss her in the parking lot for the first time… But everything just fell into place, and she just couldn't help but fall in it too.

"It was a blow to me when she said she was pregnant. I didn't want to believe it, I told her she was liar… but it all made sense. I didn't do anything with her then but screw her," he gave out a bitter laugh.

She didn't know what to say. She couldn't utter a word because he managed to freeze her again. Even before, he'd always have this ability to make her heart stop, to make her stand still, to forget what she was about to say or do.

"Please say something Kari. I know I hurt you and I don't deserve any of your time or concern but please tell me something.. anything," he pleaded and stared at the side of her face.

After a few moments of silence and anxiety, she asked softly. "Do you love her?"

She still didn't want to look at him.

"No, Kari, I don't. It's always been you. Will always be you."

"But you won't be with me?" she asked again.

The look on his face was a tragedy. It all came to choosing between facing up the responsibilities and consequences of his actions and being with her.

"I want to Kari. Believe me, it's only you that I want. But you have to understand, I have responsibilities.."

"So it's between me and Karyl with your baby. That's a lot to compete with," she let out a bitter laugh, but she couldn't contain the teardrop the fell down her cheek. "Or maybe there isn't any competition anymore. It sounds like you've made up your mind."

"Kari, please don't. I don't feel anything for her, you know that. I am in love with you," he sounded desperate.. desperate of her love. Of her.

"Do you even know what you want Tk? Because you sound so desperate of me not leaving you. It's really simple you know. Me or her and your baby. Or maybe it isn't that simple, maybe I'm just so selfish because… because I'm still in love with you. Because I love you and I want you all to myself. Because I don't want anybody else, any woman to have you. Because I don't want to share you. So forgive me for being so pathetically inlove with a person who can't make up his mind."

She wiped the tear that now streamed down her face and faced him with all the dignity that's left in her.

"Kari...," he tried to say something, all looks of tragedy etched on his face.

"What? You don't know what to say don't you? Because apparently, love isn't enough. Because if it were, then what the hell are we fighting about? If love really isn't enough, then what good is it? If it's not gonna solve this problem between us, or rather, your problem… then might as well admit that we're a disaster. Because I don't think there's anything in this damn world that's gonna fix us. So please Tk, stop prolonging the inevitable and make a goddamned decision. I'm not waiting forever.."

"You might as well cut through the crap and decide. Then at least if you don't pick me, I could cry a whole damn river before moving on with my life. Because if you give anything more to hold on to – a hope that maybe you'd one day go back to me – I'd just be more of a mess than I ever was. So please, give both ourselves a favor and decide."

She inhaled heavily from all the strength she was spending on letting out all the matter she wants concluded, on putting up her feelings and insides in display.

"But Tk, I really really want you to choose me. Pick me. I'm in love with you and you love me too. If life were this simple, I just want us to be together and be happy. But I know it isn't. And I know I'm up against something bigger than any kind of love can ever fight to. But here I am, pathetic and desperate, trying to win you back, to persuade you to love me and choose me."

For a brief moment, she just stopped talking and watched his ever torn face look back at her. And they looked at each other like it was the last time, like it was the last moment she could ever see his face. It was the ultimate ending to the story of how they bared their hearts and stripped naked their real feelings and vulnerability to each other.

He took her face and gently wiped the tear on her cheek with his finger. Carefully, he inched closer and she closed her eyes. That moment, she felt his lips pressed against her in a soft, chaste movement. The way he kissed felt like a goodbye. He didn't have to say it through words, but the motion of how he brushed his lips against hers told everything. He sucked her lower lips like it tasted as juicy as a fresh orange. She gave in to him, in that fleeting moment of intimacy, when he pushed his tongue inside her mouth. She did the same and their tongues danced in a slow and sad rhythm while she held him on the neck. They prolonged the kiss, lips lingered a little longer than they intended because the deepest part of her heart and rationality whispered that this could be her last. And as the realization sank in, her uncontrolled sob burst and she pulled away from the kiss. She cried against his neck, cried out all the tears that she's been keeping since their conversation began.

He held her then and rubbed her back in a soothing way. But as soon as she kept her tears at bay, she pulled back, heaved a sigh and looked up the sky to keep herself from breaking down again.

Then she spoke with all that's left of her confidence looking straight at him. "I'll be at the café until the end of the night. If you decide to choose me, meet me there."

Without a smile or goodbye, she stood up from the swing and walked away, with her heart impaired, emotions wrecked and self-worth battered.

******•**-•-•

The rest of the day was shitty. Monday morning was already an emotional sabotage for him and training the whole afternoon didn't get his mind off the matter. The whole time he did push-ups, sit-ups and jogs, he was thinking if he should show up. Dammit, he wanted her so badly, loved her irrevocably, no questions asked… but his responsibilities, his baby.

The baby Karyl was carrying is his and he has duties as a father to uphold. He didn't want the child to grow fatherless because he loved someone. He couldn't do that to someone so innocent. He can't take out his short comings to his own flesh of a child. He committed mistakes and he has to pay for them. But to pay for them for life… he didn't know if he can do it. Yes, he can be a father, but he knew he can never be the man for Karyl when right now, he's pretty damn sure where his heart lies to rest.

Can he do it? Leave his child behind for Kari? If he did, the guilt would eat him alive. To actually think of it everyday - that he chose to walk away from Karyl, from a child who needed its father – was worse than the feeling of self-condemnation.

But if he chooses to stay, will his child ever understand the kind of father he is when it comes to an understanding that he never loved his child's mother? If his child asks him if he or she was an accident.. How could he respond to that?

He really did screw up on this one, big time. And it cost him the love of his goddamned life.

The sound of a blowing whistle halted his train of thought when Coach yelled a five-minute break. He took out his water jug from his sports bag and replenished his thirst.

"You okay? You seem off today," Kouji spoke beside him while wiping his sweat with a clean towel.

Tk sighed. "I talked to Kari this morning."

"Oh?" Kouji said in surprise. "What did you talk about?"

"Things…" he sat down and twisted his head left and right. "Everything that's so messed up right now. Dude, he made me choose between her and the baby. I have until midnight."

"Shit," Kouji whispered. "Whatcha gonna do?"

"I don't know, man," he answered, completely lost in indecision.

"Look, if she loves you and you love her, things'll work out. Maybe not now, but in time it will," his friend tried to assure him.

"Dude… if I choose to support this baby, to be the man I should be, I'm gonna lose Kari. She told me she's not gonna wait for forever, and I don't expect her to. I made a really huge damage and she deserves none of that. I did this to myself, I should fix it. I don't have to drag her down with me."

"Maybe… Maybe if you let go of her now, she might come back to you in the future. Maybe after all this situation, if a chance comes, and if she still loves you, then maybe it'll all work out. Just do what you have to do today. Take it one step at a time man. If you need help I'm here. Just don't torture yourself," he slapped him in the back. "Besides, we've got semi-finals next week."

"Yeah, you're right. Gotta have my head up to the game."

After a while, Coach motioned them to continue their drills until they hit six o'clock. Soon, they were all heading out the gym, fresh from the locker rooms and off to eat dinner. Tk separated from the team and went home directly to find Karyl sitting by the doorstep.

"What are you doing here?" he asked spitefully.

"I wanted to check up on you," she said softly as she stood up and gave way for Tk to unlock the door.

"Well, I'm here, I'm alive so you can go now," he said, entering the room and dropping his sports bag on the carpeted floor of his living room.

"Tk, please… I'm trying," she followed him to the kitchen where he prepared his dinner.

"Congratulations then," he said sarcastically without even a glance to her direction. It was impossible for him to have any kind of emotion towards her aside from exasperation. He couldn't even be compassionate or considerate about her feelings. Anything about her, he didn't want anything to do with. But the fact that he carried his baby, it made her matter at some level.

"I know I made a mess out of everything, and I'm really sorry. I'm sorry for being a bitch about the littlest of things, I'm sorry that I got you involved in this complication… but it's your baby too! Why can't you make an effort in this relationship?" she argued, almost in the verge of crying with all the hormones kicking in.

"This relationship?" he snorted. "This," he whirled around and motioned his fingers to point the area between them, "this is barely a relationship. I don't know what else you want from me Karyl. I'm here aren't I?"

"I.. I just want us to work okay?! Like it had before. We used to have fun together. I want that again Tk. I still love you and I don't want you to hate me," she explained in a pleading tone.

"I'm sorry babe, but I'm here for the baby, not for you," he said bitterly. He busied himself preparing the table and taking out the food from the microwave. "Have you eaten?"

The change in subject surprised her. "No," she replied quietly.

He took an extra plate and utensils and put it across the table. "Then eat. It's not healthy for the baby."

They both sat there across each other eating dinner quietly. No one spoke for the entire duration of the meal. He was too tired to deal with her and and her demand of the things he couldn't give. If it's always gonna be like this, he wanted out. He couldn't be the man Karyl needed. He couldn't be more than just the father of this child because he knew he could never be happy with her. Could he leave the baby? Could he run back to Kari and leave all his responsibilities?

The thought of meeting her in the café crossed his mind.. but then, he looked across the table and despite the displeasure he felt about this girl who carried his child and begged him of his love, he actually felt responsible and have the slightest form of pity. It's a shame, that this girl loved him and he couldn't bring himself to love her back. And here she is, begging for him to make this work.. but there isn't anything to work out with in the first place. Because for him, he was there to provide moral support and fatherly functions. Not a lover, and nothing beyond that.

How could Karyl for herself to try to be with this man who will never look at her in the way she does? There's never anything lonelier than being with a man who doesn't feel anything for you. Karyl knew the reality; but deep down inside, she hoped that by some miracle, he'd change his mind. And she'd take that chance. She'd go through anything and try to beat the odds even if the possibility that he'd change his mind is one in a million.

Because for her, even the slightest opportunity mattered. And she'd take whatever he would give. Even if it was a little less than enough.

She loved him that much. It hurts her because she knew that the father of her child was in love with another girl. But if that's the odds, she's gonna fight like hell to keep this family. He might not look at the situation in that way for now, but someday, she wanted to believe so.

Tk cleared his plate and put them in the sink. "Clear the table if you're done. I'll take care of the dishes," he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. By the time he got back the dining room, the table was clear and the dishes were washed.

"You didn't have to do that," he said as he watched Karyl dry her hands.

"It's fine. I already gave you a lot of reasons to hate me. Washing the dishes certainly won't be enough to make amends."

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He couldn't possibly feel guilty with what he's doing with this woman? Rather, what he's not doing.

He went to the living room and plopped down the couch and turned on the tv. Karyl followed and sat on the couch beside him but not close enough to make him more agitated.

"I know you're trying Karyl. I know you really do," Tk started off softly. "But understand that this is the farthest I'm gonna get. I'm trying too. And this is me trying. I'm gonna be there for you and the baby as much as you need me to but that's it. I'm here because I have to, not because I want to. I'm sorry Karyl but I can't love you. I can't give you what you want."

She lowered her head and looked away. Tears at their edge.

"I understand that I can't be her, Tk. I can't be Kari but I can be me. Maybe not now, but I hope, even with the slightest chance that in time, you'll learn to love me back," she said with her wounded confidence.

He sighed again. There really wasn't anything he could feel about her but pity. He realized he'd hurt two females today. He made them cry. He didn't know what is it with him that made these girls love him. For all he knows, he's hurting both of them and he doesn't deserve the love they're throwing away for a chance to be with him.

He rubbed her back in comfort knowing he's the reason she's crying right now. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

She wiped away her tears and pulled herself together.

"C'mon," Tk took her hand and pulled her up from the couch. "I'll get you home. You shouldn't be tiring yourself." He led her out of the house and took his car to drive her home.

The ride was quiet. No one dared to start a conversation because they were both feeling exhausted. There was a lot of emotional and physical strain experienced in one day and it was probably more than what they could all handle. They all just needed time out from life, if that were ever possible.

After he parked outside her house, he took her to the front door.

"Good night," he was about to go when Karyl instantly gripped his wrist, forcing him to turn to face her. She was breathing hard, in difficulty, and her legs were quivering. She held on to Tk as her only support of standing as she clutched her belly, looking like she's in extreme pain.

"Tk…" she said before passing out in his arms.

"Shit," he whispered in shock and hurriedly put her in the car. He quickly started the engine and drove high-speed to the hospital.

******•**-•-•

"I actually told him to choose me, to pick me. How pathetic is that?" Kari ranted in shame to Zoe while she shared her misery and uncontainable feelings. "Do you think he'll choose me?" she asked, looking for assurance with sadness in her eyes.

"I hope so, K," Zoe answered. "He better."

She glanced at the wall clock over the barista of the café and noticed it was a little past 10 at night. "Well, I have at most two hours. I can't believe I made myself do this. Am I even ready to move on if he doesn't choose me?"

"Kari, whatever happens, you'll get through it. I'm always here to look out for you. Do you think I'd just let you go on with your life sulking and being miserable? God, you have a whole life ahead of you. Don't let anything or anyone get in the way of it."

"Z.. it just hurts. Really, really hurts. I don't know if I'll be able to keep a happy face and walk around like I don't take crap from anyone."

"It's gonna work out, whatever happens. Don't be too hard on yourself."

Maybe this wasn't the best way to get things done, but at least by the end of the day, she was gonna get an answer. And that's all she needs – closure. It's better to have known the decision than to go on with your life wondering. At least by then, there's a peace of mind and the anxiety and confusion is laid to rest. Some people might say it's better not knowing because the truth hurts, but really, would you have rather known it beforehand than live the rest of your life thinking all the possible outcomes of a certain decision?

It's better to conclude, to give things finality and label to avoid uncertainty. A certain answer defines limits, entitles boundaries that would put relationships in place and people in their own roles.

If this ends favorably, then they could go on to whatever they would consider themselves as.

If not, then at least, they would know where they stand.

She looked past Zoe directly to the front doors of the café. And everytime it opened, she wished it was him. Because it was so damn humiliating to have her heart bared and have him witness the immensity of her feelings for him. And to have it unrequited, it was the saddest outcome that she could possibly prepare herself for.

An hour has passed and he still didn't show up. In almost thirty minutes, by 12 midnight, it was either her or Karyl.

******•**-•-•

It took forever before the doctor was able to talk to him in the waiting lounge.

"Mr. Takaishi?" a dark haired man in scrubs and white lab coat approached him. "Your friend just suffered a considerable amount of stress. During pregnancy, the body produces a substantial amount of hormones and the emotional, physical and psychological stress she experienced today have caused her to pass out. I understand that you're young and she might have been undergoing problems teens today are going through – relationships, school, family, especially this pregnancy. But we assure that nothing serious happened. We injected sedatives to keep her calm. She'll be discharged in about fifteen minutes." The doctor smiled and left Tk to wait.

A few moments later, Karyl came out conscious and looking a little better than before. He helped her to the car and drove her home. The ride was silent again as he concentrated on the road and she looked out to the window. By the time they arrived at her place, he walked her towards the door and took her to her bedroom, just so she safely reaches her room.

She stopped by the open bedroom door. "Thank you for today Tk. I'm sorry if I kept you."

"It's okay Karyl. Just go to bed and rest," he said in the most casual way. If there was any trace of concern he showed, it was concern for a human being. Not for a beloved, not even for a friend.

She reached for his arms for support, stood in her tiptoes and kissed the corners of his lips. "Thank you," she whispered.

He moved his head to his side after he felt her lips on the corners of his, and waited for her to step back. When she did, he sighed in distress and looked at her. "Good night Karyl," he took the doorknob and said, "I'll lock the front door on my way out," before he finally shut her bedroom door.

When he sat inside the driver's seat, he rubbed his face with his palms and then his chin and jawline. Today was a very trying day… and he just wanted peace of mind. If there anything he felt right now, it was pure exhaustion.

He wanted to see Kari. Her face always lifted his spirits up, calmed his nerves and made him see that there's something beautiful in this world. And that was it.

He decided to go to the café.

******•**-•-•

No one came through the door, and the same wall clock she'd been staring at the whole night by the bar struck 12 midnight. Her heart swelled, the pain in her chest took its toll again. She already prepared herself for the worst the whole night, but the realization of the truth stabbed her in all possible places that could hurt.

"He's not coming, isn't he?" the sorrow was upsettingly obvious by the way she spoke.

"I'm sorry," Zoe comforted and held her hand.

Suddenly, the doors opened and they both turned to see who it was. Apparently, there was only so much disappointments she can handle today and this is probably the last one. It was Kouji who walked through those doors, and he made his way towards the girls' table.

"Hi Kari. Are you okay?" he patted her back like a big brother, trying to console his baby sister who held a broken toy.

"I'm fine Kouji. Thanks for asking." She heaved a hard sigh. "I know you guys are tired. It's okay, you can go. I just want to be alone for tonight."

"Are you sure K? You know I'll stay if you ask me too," Zoe said.

"I'm okay. I just want to be with myself. Besides, it's just a block from my house. I'll call you when I'm home safe," Kari reassured.

"Okay. Don't forget to call me," she squeezed her best friend's hand and smiled before Kouji pulled her from her seat.

"Oh, Kouji. Do you know where he is?" she asked in curiosity.

Kouji looked at her, hesitated before he answered her question. "The last time he texted, he was in the hospital. Karyl passed out and he had to admit her."

Kari's face fell. He chose her. Why wouldn't he anyway? She was the one with his child. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine, Kari."

It was obvious how torn she was by this information. As if the thought of him and her didn't already torture her mercilessly. "Okay."

"See you Kari. Be safe. You're a strong girl," Kouji squeezed her shoulder before leaving the café with Zoe.

She looked at the clock again. 12:10. Who was she kidding? She already gave him time. He didn't come. He made a decision. What's there to hope for? At least she tried didn't she? At least she told him how much she wanted him to be with her. That it hurt her to see them both together.

But if he decided that, then she'd have to respect that decision.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a guy stood beside her table. "Is this seat taken?"

She looked up and saw Ryo, smiling down at her.

"Hi," he greeted.

She put all her effort to put up a smile. "Hi."

"So?"

"Unfortunately, this seat isn't taken," she tried not to sound depressed, which she managed to do. At least, for once today, there was a reason to smile.

******•**-•-•

He looked from outside the café through the glass walls and instantly saw her glowing laughing face. He was too late. And she was there, laughing, smiling, as if the drama and heartache she felt this morning happened ages ago. He couldn't go inside. He couldn't do this to her. He can't show up when he saw how happy she was in the company of some other guy who never even pulled a strand of her hair to hurt her. She deserved the kind of guy who wouldn't cause her all the drama, the pain, the insufficiency. She deserved nothing less than the best.

He realized, if he chose to be with her, he wouldn't be able to give him the whole of himself. He'd always be a mile away to help Karyl, to take care of her, to check up on his responsibilities.. and if he's doing that, he couldn't give Kari the complete attention, care and love she deserves and expects from him. He knew it would just hurt her to think that every Saturday, he'd be somewhere else with this other girl – probably to accompany her to the doctor or whatever damn thing that comes with pregnancy.

Kari deserved the whole-hearted love and commitment a man can give, not just some free-time or a fraction of the whole.

And if he couldn't give her what she deserves, then he's less than the man he thought he could be.

So why not just let her go? Like what she said, if one thing's not enough, then what good is it?

He stayed there for a little while, consuming the sight of her radiant laughter and beautiful face. He was seeing what he was letting go, and it was so damn priceless. He knows he's more stupid than a fool for letting her go but how happy would she be with him if he can't give her even the whole of his being?

She was so beautiful, so damn beautiful and she lit up his life.

But now, he felt the distance between them, even if she was a glass of a wall and a couple of feet away, he already knew she was slipping away.

So he turned around and walked away.

He reached his car, which was parked by the concrete wall. With all the anger and torment built up in his chest, he released it all with a punch on the wall. "Damn it!" he yelled to himself. He kicked the side of his car in frustration and muttered an awful lot of profanities while he continued to let out all the steam.

When he tired himself from lashing out, he leaned against his car and put his palms on his face. He slid down and sat on the concrete pavement feeling all the ugliest things he could ever feel about himself.

Because the most hideous thing he ever did was walk away from the one person who mattered the most.

**©ancercute ©opyright**

**(a/n)**

**It's been two years! Wow. It took two years for me to have another update and I am tremendously sorry for taking that long. But it still means so much to me that there are still readers who push me to continue this story and I greatly appreciate your support. Thank you very much! I hope you like this chapter and I'm hoping that I'd be able to continue updating in a shorter amount of time. See you in the next chapter!**


End file.
